Ally Dawson's Secret
by truecolors264
Summary: "How do you do it? How do you get through the pain, torture, work, and words you endure everyday? How do you wake up in the morning and manage to get up? How can you even smile? How do you do it?" "I just let myself hope that one day, there will be someone who loves me." "There is someone who loves you. He is sitting right in front of you." - Auslly Fanfic. Enjoy!
1. Denial

**(A/N: Hey guys! I am extremely excited about this story and I can't wait for you guys to read it! I actually attempted to write an actual book based on this plot, but I never finished it, so I converted it to an auslly fanfic! This is all written in Austin's POV, but there might be a point where I stick Ally's POV somewhere. I hope you all enjoy this!)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally, and I am only saying it once.**

**Austin's POV**

There are many terrible days in the year. Some of them are obvious, like Mondays, or Friday the thirteenth. Others are hidden, like the days you found out you got an F on that math test, or the day your puppy dies. But there is always that one day that overpowers them all.

That day, in fact, is the first day of school.

There is nothing worse than waking up on that day and realizing you can't sleep in. It is absolutely annoying. I hate waking up at 6:30.

It is also the day you learn all the rules of the school. You don't do anything but get taught rules. Rules are boring! Who follows them anyway?

You also get the pleasure of seeing people you wish you never had to see again, but you're obligated to see them in school. You have to say hi to everyone and act like you missed them all. Guess what? If I don't know your last name, don't expect me to miss you!

Yes, the worst day of the year is by far the first day of school. And believe it or not, that day is today.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

My alarm clock buzzed for the fourth time this morning. Thank God for the snooze button.

I am about to slam down the button for the fifth time today when my mom bursts in the room.

"Austin Monica Moon!" she screams. "Mom!" I moan. "I thought I told you to never mention my middle name!" She just taps her foot with a stern expression on her face. "You do realize it is seven o'clock," she says, pointing at my clock. I whip my head around and see that she is correct. Shit! The bus leaves at 7:20!

I spring out of bed and run into the bathroom. I start the shower and put it on full heat. When I see the steam, I strip from my clothes and go in. The hot water runs down my back as I quickly shampoo. I finish in a record of two minutes. I jump out, dry myself and rush into my room. I open my drawers and take out ripped jeans, a Hollister t-shirt (blue), my dog tag and socks. I get dressed as fast as possible and comb my hair, which was still sopping from the shower. I lace up my Nikes and run down stairs.

My mom is sitting at the table, drinking coffee and my dad is probably at work, like always. I glance at the clock. It reads 7:15. Better get going. I kiss my mom on her cheek and turn to go. I race out the door and down the block to where Dez and Trish were waiting at the bus stop.

"Hey guys!" I said, a yawn escaping my mouth. "Hey," Dez said sleepily, and Trish just nodded. We aren't morning people, okay?

We talked for a little while, exchanged schedules (I have no classes with them), and almost fell asleep before the bus came barreling down the corner. We all filed in, and I took my usual seat in the very back.

We were at the last bus stop before we got to school, when a huge flock of teenagers came on the bus. I prayed there would be enough seats so I didn't have to sit by anyone. I like my personal space.

One by one, kids sat down, filling the seats, before a tall, african-american boy stepped onto the bus. Crap. Trent.

Trent was my, Dez, and Dallas's arch enemy. He dated Trish for a week before finally dumping her because he had another girlfriend. Trish was devastated, and we hated him for making our Trish upset.

Anyway, Trent spotted me and shot me a glare. He looked for an empty seat, but there wasn't one available, so he reluctantly plopped down next to me. I turned towards the window, not even giving him the satisfaction of seeing my face.

When we finally pulled up towards the school, all the teens got out of the bus, me being the very last. When I stepped outside, I searched the crowd of kids for Dez, Trish, or Dallas. When I couldn't see anybody I knew, I shrugged and just walked on. I entered the school and saw girls hugging each other, guys fist-bumping other guys, and teachers trying to get the student's attention.

I was trying to find my locker, when someone ran into me, causing us to fall over. I picked myself up and immediately yelled on instinct. "Hey, watch where you're go—" I stopped, looking at the person sprawled out on the floor.

It was a girl. She had chestnut hair that fell into blonde tips. Her eyes were a deep shade of chocolate, and she was wearing a white vest, a yellow shirt and a black tank top with a sunflower on it. She wore white flip flops to match. She was very short, only about 5 feet 3 inches, and she was very skinny. Something I noticed immediately was she had faded scars all across her body. She must have been in an accident of some sort.

She didn't meet my eyes; she just started picking up her books. I automatically crouched down and started to help. I saw a brown leather book with a faded pink A on the cover. I picked it up and stood up. She was still on the floor, not realizing I was still there. I held out my hand towards her and coughed. She turned around and saw my hand. She didn't smile; she just took it and stood up. I handed her the brown book, and she ripped it out of my hands. "Hey, sorry I knocked into you, totally my fault," I said, looking at the ground. "What's your nam—" I stopped, looking up to see her racing off in the direction of the science lab.

"Dude! Happy Senior Year!" someone said from behind, slapping me on the back. I turned to see Dallas smiling at me. "Hey, dude…" I said, turning back around to see the girl getting a drink of water. "Who's that?" I said, pointing in her direction.

Dallas chuckled. "Her name is Ally Dawson."

Ally Dawson. Rolls off the tongue quite nicely.

"Is she new?" I asked, not ripping my eyes away from the brunette.

"No," Dallas said, staring at me. "She just was a bit invisible the first half of last year. But then people started talking about what she does…"

"What do you mean, what she does?" I snap, whipping my head around to face him. He raised his hands up. "Calm down man… people just talk about her. What she does, and how she does it. Some of the stuff is pretty creepy dude…"

I was about to ask what she did when the bell rang. I muttered a quick goodbye before racing off to find my locker. When I did, I spun the combination quickly so I wouldn't be too late to class.

What would that girl do that bothered anyone? She looked so sweet and vulnerable. And what's up with those scars? Did she get in an accident? Is she okay?

Wait… why do I care? She's just a girl. Sure, she's pretty hot, but there are a lot of hot girls in this school. But then again, most of the hot girls are clingy and annoying. This one didn't even smile at me; she just raced off. Does she know I wanted to talk to her? She's so mysterious and different, and I feel like I want to know more about her…

NO! I do not want to know more about her. She's just a girl, just a girl…

I raced into homeroom, and the teacher was reading morning announcements. She looked up when I ran in. "Mr. Moon," she said, her eyes cold. "Take a seat next to Mr. Holt."

Mr. Holt? Oh god…

I sit down next to Trent and he scowls.

I check the clock. 8:10. School ends at 3:15. It's going to be a LONG day.

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"You're wrong!" Dez says sternly. "Seven purple unicorns could definitely beat Darth Vader in a fight to the death!"

"Nuh-uh!" Dallas retorts, crossing his arms. "Darth Vader could slice all their puny heads off!"

"You take that back!" Dez demanded, standing up.

"GUYS!" Trish screamed. They pointed their heads towards her. "There is no such thing as purple unicorns and Darth Vader is a fictional character. There is no way to tell if one would beat the other in a fight to the death. So shut up and eat!"

Dez sat down, murmuring something about a new Star Wars movie, and Dallas turned back to his burger. I sighed and stared down at my slice of pizza. Even if the cafeteria food is the best food in the world, which included my mom's cooking, I wasn't hungry.

I hate lunch. Not the food part, that part is good, but the sit down and talk part. I always have. Every kid always said that it was their favorite part of the school day, but it is my least favorite part. I don't know why, I just don't like it. I seem to always wish I could be in my own little world, by myself. It's weird; this is the only time in the day I really want to be alone.

It also doesn't help that I couldn't get a certain girl out of my head. Ally Dawson hasn't crossed my mind for less than twenty times today. I am confused by her actions and her reputation. I mean, I don't know what people say about her yet, but I am surprised people even talk about her in a bad way. I am confused why she isn't popular, because besides the scars, which are pretty faded, she is really pretty. Beautiful, in fact. She is one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen, if not the prettiest. The shade of her eyes is just perfect, the softness of her hair makes me want to reach out and touch it, and I swear she can't weigh more than ninety pounds…

"Austin…" Dallas said, waving a hand in front of my face. "Hmm?" I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts.

"You've been staring at your pizza for like, five minutes," Trish said in awe. "You looked like you wanted to marry it!"

"Ooohh!" Dez sang. "Is there a girl?" I blushed uncontrollably. How did he know I was thinking about Ally? And why am I blushing? I don't have a crush on her.

"Dez, don't be an idiot," Trish snapped. "Just because he was looking at pizza doesn't mean he was thinking of a girl!" She turned to me and a sly smile appeared on her face. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "You're blushing, and you never blush! You do like a girl!" I turned a deeper shade of red. "I do not!" I denied, running my hands through my hair. "No, no!" Dallas argued. "You only get that look when there's a girl. AND you only run your fingers through your hair when you lie. You do like a girl!"

I looked at my shoes. Is he right? Do I like Ally Dawson? No, I can't. I haven't even spoken to her once without her completely ignoring me. And it's not like love at first sight exists, right?

"I do not like her," I stated, my blush starting to fade. "I was just thinking about her."

"Who?!" Trish squealed, making my ears hurt. "No one!" I snapped. "I don't have a crush on anyone!"

"Okay…" Trish said sarcastically. "But for the record, de Nile is not just a river in Egypt."

I blushed again, and the bell rang. I got up and readied myself for 6th period.

Only four more periods to go before I'm out of this hellhole people call school.

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The bell rang, signaling the end of 8th period. I sighed and stood up, ignoring the giggles and waves of desperate girls. I glanced down at my schedule. I have history with Mr. Bruner next, and it's on the other side of the school, near my locker. I took a deep breath and dodged the girls who were trying to get my attention. Don't they know that if they throw themselves at me, I don't want to talk to them? I want a challenge. Someone who won't throw themselves at me, like Ally…

Wait, what? I don't like Ally!

I swerved through the crowded hallways, making my way towards Room #214. When I finally arrived, I had two phone numbers in my pocket, thanks to the Durian Twins, who thought it would be okay to shove their numbers in my BACK pocket. So not cool….

I walked through the doors, and students were crowded around the teacher's desk. I strolled over to the back to see that there was a seating chart already. Yay.

I look up my name and see that my seat is in the first row, closest to the door. I walk over and plop down, setting all my books on the floor. I was one of the last students to come in, considering where my last class was, so all the desks were filled except the one next to me. The bell rang and I smiled. If no one sits next to me, than I can put my stuff on that desk, instead of having to put my stuff on the floor. I picked up my books and moved them to the other desk.

"Hello Class!" A middle aged man said enthusiastically. "I am your history teacher, Mr. Bruner."

Everyone chanted a quick "Good Afternoon Mr. Bruner," and smiled. Mr. Bruner looked like one of those teachers that actually make the class fun instead of boring.

"We are in for a great year," Mr. Bruner began. "9th period has always been my favorite class. I think we'll skip the boring lecture on rules, you've heard it far too much." Everyone cheered and I knew Mr. Bruner would be my new favorite teacher. "Now, let's get started on our first lesson. We will be talking about The Dark Ages for our first unit. I think that we shall be having our—, well, hello!" Mr. Bruner stopped due to the door opening. I turned my head towards the door and my eyes widened.

Ally Dawson was standing in the doorway.

She's in this class?

She walked up to Mr. Bruner, and he smiled at her, but she didn't return it. "Um… class, you may talk for a little while," Mr. Bruner said, still looking down at the petite brunette. Everyone immediately started talking, but I watched Ally from the corner of my eye, making sure she didn't know I was watching her. She talked to Mr. Bruner, and he handed her a crumpled piece of paper. She examined it, and then glanced at me. A confused look overtook her face as she checked the paper again. After she had gone back and forth between me and the paper for a while, she walked up to me. My throat got extremely dry, and my stomach fluttered.

"Um… excuse me," she said softly. The sound of her voice was perfect, and her eyes were even better up close.

"Uh-huh?" I said, dazed.

"I think you're in my seat."

**(A/N: What did you guys think? I like this story a lot; I might even post again today, so make sure you follow this! Also, what do you guys think will happen in Ferris Wheels and Funky Breath? I can't help but love that Kira has bad breath, that's like one of the worst qualities a girl could have. Tell me what you think. Bye!)**


	2. Rumors

**(A/N: Here I am, at one in the morning, typing my story. I am so not tired at all. Lately these days, I can stay up until four and then wake up at eight feeling completely rested, with no bags or bloodshot eyes at all. It's kind of weird. Btw, sorry for not updating again today (or yesterday), It's just too early. Anyway, here's the story…)**

**Austin's POV**

I stared at her blankly. "Who, wa… wait, w- what?" I stuttered out. "Um…" she said uncomfortably. "It says here that, that you sit there," she said, holding the paper out and pointing at the seat next to me. I took the crumpled paper and realized it was the seating chart from before. I examined it and saw that she was right; my seat was the other one.

She probably thinks I'm so stupid. I mean, who mixes up where they are supposed to sit in a seating chart! I sheepishly stand up and move to the seat next to me. I watch as she carefully sits down and straightens out her skirt. My lips begin to form a little smile. She looks so dainty and… perfect. How does she not realize how pretty she is? Does she not know how perfect everything about her is?

Why am I thinking these things!? I don't like Ally!

Trish's words ring in the back of my mind. _"But for the record, de Nile is not just a river in Egypt…"_

I thought for a moment. Do I like Ally Dawson? I mean, I have only seen her twice, but everything she does is flawless. There is not one bad quality about her. She makes me want to hold her in my arms forever, or protect her from bad people.

I think I do like Ally Dawson.

But only a little. It is only a crush. It wouldn't make sense if it was anything more, considering I've never had a real conversation with her. She could have a terrible personality (But I doubt it).

"Okay class!" Mr. Bruner said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "As I was saying before, I am going to teach you a lot in the next few days, and on Friday, I will assign you a project." The class groaned. "I know, I know!" Mr. Bruner sighed, raising his hands up. "Don't worry. The project is only to evaluate how quick you learn. It will not be counted in the grade book. Now, let's get started on the lesson. You may ask, what are the Dark Ages? Well, the Dark Ages were…"

I tuned him out, uninterested in the topic. I take out my pencil and doddle on the surface of the desk. I draw a stick figure with a gun shooting another stick figure. It takes me a long time to complete my masterpiece. After all, I did want other kids to see it and admire it. When I finally finish, I look back at my drawing, happy with the results.

I am about to write _Austin Moon was here_ on the side of the desk, when a faint whimper was heard next to me. I glance next to me and let out a silent gasp.

Ally was propping her arm on the desk, blood escaping from a large vertical cut across her wrist. It had to be at least three inches long, and she was trying to soak up the blood with a tissue. I scanned her face and saw small tears forming on the corners of her perfect eyes. She sniffled and tried to pretend everything was okay. But I could see in her eyes that she was in pain.

What happened to her? Did she do that to herself? No, she couldn't have, the look on her face just screams she wish it never happened. Plus, if people cut themselves, it's usually horizontal. So she couldn't have done it. Wait, did someone do that to her? I swear, when I find out who hurt her, they will feel a million times as much pain as she is enduring right now…

I blink and see her staring at me. I glance down at the cut and she puts her index finger to her mouth, signaling me to be quiet. As much as I want to tell someone, the look in her pleading eyes make me nod in response. She, happy with my response, turns back to her arm. She doesn't smile. I haven't seen her smile yet. I wish I could; her smile is probably just as amazing as the rest of her.

We sit in silence for approximately ten minutes before I hear a small snicker from behind me. I turn around and see Trent in the very back, scribbling down something on a piece of paper, with his friend Roger watching intently. Trent folds the piece of paper up, and whispers to the person next to him, handing him the note. The boy snickers and whispers to the girl next to him, passing the note along. The note travels and travels until it ends up in Tilly Thompson's hand. She gives me a flirtatious wink, and motions me over to her. I roll my eyes, but lean over anyway.

She leaned into my ear and breathed on the side of my face, making me want to pull back. "Pass this to Ally Dawson," she whispered, putting the note in my hand. I backed away slowly, staring at the folded piece of paper. I flash a glare at Trent, who was giving me the death stare. Before he could do anything else, I unfold the piece of paper and read it.

_Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
I was born normal  
What happened to you?_

_Just a little poem from me to you. Seriously, drop dead you whore. Nobody likes you, and nobody wants to see your ugly fucking face. So do the world a favor and go to hell._

I was horrified. I mean, Trent is cruel, but how could he say that to someone as innocent as Ally? I slowly turned my head towards Ally. She had been so busy with her arm that she hadn't noticed anything that was happening around her. I shot my gaze towards Trent, extended my middle finger at him, and shoved the note in my folder. I saw his smirk quickly change to an angry face that read nothing but I'm going to fucking kill you.

The bell rang and everyone shuffled around, trying to get their stuff. Trent walked past my desk and warned, "You'll pay for that one, Moon!" I just smirked and said, "Sorry, don't have any cash on me!" He scowled and left with Roger trailing behind him. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ally getting her stuff straightened out.

I started walking, lingering at the end of the crowd, hoping that maybe she might bump into me and talk to me.

Everyone had gone through the door, including the teacher, but she was still sitting in her desk. I peered at her, and she stared back. I finally summoned the courage to speak.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked softly. She ripped her gaze away and shook her head. I cocked my head to the side, and slowly took a step closer to her. "Why?" I asked, confused. "I have... stuff to do," she said slowly, not meeting my eyes.

"Oh, um… okay," I said, backing away. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" She nodded at me, and gave me a small wave. I was about to walk out the door when she called out, "Wait!" I turned and she was staring at her desk. "Thank you…" she murmured. I froze. Now I was really confused. "For what?" I asked slowly. She forced her head up, making her eyes stare into mine. I could see great pain hidden in them. "For not giving me that note…" she whispered. My eyes widened. "I'm not naïve, and I know what's happening around me. I'm sure whatever it said wasn't very nice, but then again, that's the way people are. But really, thank you," she said, ripping her eyes away from mine.

I stood there, taking in what she had said. I scanned her up and down, wondering how a person could be so beautiful, inside and out. I automatically realized that every day, she faces people who are out to make her feel like shit. She still goes to school, facing the problems not everyone has to face. And yet, she manages to still stay herself. The problems get to her, they would get to anybody, but she doesn't retaliate. She lets it go. Not everyone has the strength to do that.

Without saying another word, I turn and walk out the door, leaving Ally Dawson to do whatever she needed to do.

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"Die, Zaliens, Die!" Dez screams, hitting the buttons on his controller rapidly. I sigh as a Zalien eats my brains for the fourth time today, signaling a game over. Dez groans and tosses his controller at the front of the TV, and I set mine next to me. "Is there something wrong, Austin?" Dez questions, looking at me with worried eyes. "Why do you ask?" I stalled, hoping he would forget. "Well, it's just, you never get a game over, much less four!" Dez cried. "You are off you game!"

I shrugged, hoping he would drop it. He just shook his head and turned back to the TV screen. "You've been acting weird ever since this morning," he accused, and I shrugged again.

It's true, I have been confused. My mind kept wandering back to Ally Dawson, wondering if she was okay or not. Why would she have to stay after school, and more importantly, why in Mr. Bruner's room? He had left the room with his jacket, leaving the room for the day. Why would Ally Dawson have to stay there?

"Hey, Dez?" I began, waiting for him to respond. He grunted, not tearing his eyes away from the video game. "What do people say about Ally Dawson?" Dez froze, causing his avatar to die. He placed the controller next to him and turned to me. "You want to know what people say about Ally Dawson?" he said carefully. I nodded my head, and he took a deep breath. "Well, what I have heard," he began, looking at the ceiling. "Is that last year, when she was sixteen, a guy approached her on the streets and raped her. The damages weren't that bad, but people say that she liked it. So, she became a sex addict, and every time a guy gets close to her, she rapes him. After that, people talked about how no one wanted to have sex with her, so that she started doing things to trick guys into doing her. I'd rather not repeat them, they are kind of creepy. Anyways, after all that, people have made fun of her, and beaten her up countless times," he finished, not meeting my stare.

I stared at him, my fist balling up. That is absolutely, positively not true. There is no way Ally is a sex addict. No possible way. And if she got raped, then that would mean she wasn't a virgin. She has too much innocence and vulnerability to not be a virgin. That story was obviously a rumor.

Then a thought crossed my mind. Who had the balls to make up that story and cause Ally so much pain?

"Dez," I said sternly, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. "Do you believe that nonsense?" Dez automatically shook his head. "No, Trent probably just wanted to take his anger out on Ally when she dumped him," he said, picking at his finger nails. My pulse started to rise. "TRENT started those rumors?" I practically shouted. Dez looked up and nodded. "Yes, don't you remember?" Dez said, giving me an odd look. "Ally was the girl he cheated on Trish with, and when Ally found out, she dumped him. So Trent retaliated by started all those rumors that everyone just seemed to believe."

I jumped up and paced about, not being able to control the anger that was radiating off of me. Everything that she goes through is because of him. The rumors, the lies, the pain. Everything. She dumped him because he cheated on her, so SHE gets punished? That's NOT how it works.

"Austin?" Dez said, a small smile beginning to form on his face. "Is Ally the girl you were thinking about at lunch?" I stopped pacing and turned to him. "No," I lied. "I was just wondering because I bumped into her this morning, and I was curious."

"Okay…" Dez said, rolling his eyes. "You should better get going. It's like nine o' clock."

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When I walked up to my house, both my mom's and dad's cars were in the driveway. My eyes widened a little, and my mouth broke into a grin. Both my parents are home? That barely ever happens!

I ran through the door and screamed, "Mom! Dad!", but there was no reply. All the lights were off, and the house was silent. I walked into the kitchen and flicked the lights on. There was a note on the table, so I picked it up and read it.

_Austin,_

_Sorry this is short notice, but we are flying out to Seattle for a couple weeks to discuss marketing oversea plans. We have left the car here, so feel free to do whatever you like, but be responsible. There's eight hundred dollars in the cabinet for EMERGENCIES ONLY (i.e. food, drink, etc.). Enjoy your first week of school. We love you!_

_Love, Mom and Dad_

I sigh and drop the letter on the counter. Of course they are away. I shouldn't have even hoped they would both be home.

I check the time. 9:30. I better go to bed, there's school tomorrow. I trudge up the stairs and into bed, not bothering to put on my pajamas. I stare at the glow in the dark stars that stuck to the top of my ceiling, and yawn deeply, thinking about what will happen tomorrow.

But one thing is for sure, Trent is not going to have a good day.

**(A/N: Well that's it! Thank you for reading! If you think that the rumors are all of Ally Dawson's problems, then you are far from wrong. The rumors are just adding to her big secret that she is hiding from everyone. Stay tune! XD) **


	3. Anger

**(A/N: Hola amigos! I felt like updating, so I did! I am going to remind you that once again, Ally's smallest problem is the rumors that are going around about her. Her biggest problem is also her biggest secret, hence the title, "Ally Dawson's Secret"! So… enjoy!)**

**Austin's POV**

I walked into the cafeteria and scanned the room for Trent. He wasn't on the bus or in homeroom, but during a passing period, I saw him talking to Roger. You may ask, why must I, Austin Moon, see the biggest douche on the planet, Trent Holt? Because I have a bone to pick with him.

I couldn't sleep thinking about Ally last night. It's not fair that she has to be made fun of and beat up because Trent has relationship issues. She is the last person on earth that deserves that. She is full of grace and beauty, she is so utterly innocent, and she smells really nice, kind of like strawberries…

I also was confused to why she had to stay after school. It was the first day, for god's sake! And her excuse, "I have… stuff to do…" does not give me any clues at all. I am so frustrated and confused! Why does this have to be so complicated!? She seems so distant and reserved, and all I want to do is be closer to her! To break down those walls, and know more about her!

My thoughts were interrupted when someone comes crashing into me. Kind of hoping it was Ally, I look up. The person is the exact opposite of Ally. It was none other than the douche himself.

Before Trent could register who he bumped into, I grabbed him by his collar and slam him against the wall, ignoring the stares of the students around us. "What the fuck, man!" he screams, trying to push me off of him, but failing miserably. "You," I start, trying really hard (but not too hard) not to choke the dude. "You are a mother fucking bastard! What is up with all those rumors about Ally Dawson? You may have everyone else is in this god forsaken school fooled, but not me. Just because YOU cheated doesn't mean that YOU have the right to make everyone think she's sex addict. Because news flash, I'm pretty damn sure she's a virgin! And that note yesterday was horrible! How do you sleep at night knowing the stuff you do to her? It's sick!" I scream.

He stares at me, petrified, before breaking out from my grasp. "It doesn't matter if she's a virgin!" he snapped, backing away from me. "It doesn't matter, because everyone else thinks she isn't. And that's good enough for me. I don't care how she feels, because it's fun to see people make fun of her for her mistake. She could have just stayed with me and everything would have been fine. But no, she brought this on herself!" he spat, glaring at me. He turned away and stalked off towards his table.

I'm angry now. I'm really angry.

I'm about to lunge at him when I realize something important; fighting will just make him want to start more rumors. I don't want Ally's school life worse than it already is. I reluctantly swing around and trudge over to my table, plopping down next to Trish. I grab my B.L.T. and take a gigantic bite from it, taking in its amazing flavor. Seriously, the cafeteria food is the best food in the universe. It so weird because cafeteria food is usually disgusting, but this is the opposite from disgusting.

I think about what Trent said. Everyone else thinks she's a sex addict, huh? Well, Dez doesn't believe it. I wonder what Trish and Dallas think…

"Hey, Trish?" I say, turning towards her. She meets my gaze and says, "Yes?" I take another bite of my sandwich and say, "Do you have anything against Ally Dawson?"

Dez's eyebrow shoots up from across the table, and he smiles knowingly. Trish didn't notice; she just took a sip of water. "No, if anything, I have sympathy for the girl," Trish said, staring at Trent with a scowl on her face. "He played her just like he played me, and then she got punished for his actions. There is no way quiet, shy Ally Dawson is a sex addict."

Dallas nodded. "The guy is just an egotistical bastard. I can't believe everyone thinks what he says is true," he ranted, shaking his head. I smile. It's nice to know what my friends think.

"You seem REALLY interested in Ally Dawson," Dez smirked. Trish's head whipped over towards him, hitting me in the face with her long, thick hair. Dallas looked at me and waggled his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" Trish asked Dez, smiling slyly. "Well, he asked me about her yesterday, and then lied through his teeth when I asked him if she was the girl he was so hung up over," Dez said, and Trish shot her gaze back towards me. I blushed a little and became suddenly interested in my high tops. "Oh my God!" Trish squealed, slapping my arm. "You like Ally Dawson! Not that bad a choice, Moon!"

I sighed, no use denying it. "Yeah, I like Ally Dawson," I muttered sheepishly, and Dallas shot me a big grin. "Dude, she's hot!" he agreed. My head shot up, suddenly really jealous. "Hey, I have DIBS!" I announced sternly. Dez, Trish, and Dallas all started laughing hysterically, tears beginning to form in the corners of their eyes. "Dude, you got it bad!" Dallas laughed. "I just said she's hot! I don't like her!"

I hate to admit it, but him saying that made me feel better.

They wouldn't stop laughing, so I finally piped up. "Yeah, yeah, hilarious!" I said sarcastically, and the laughter started to die down. "She just seems really… secretive though…" I said, my head starting to hurt from all the thinking going into this. My friends became serious all of the sudden, and Dez asked, "Why?" I sighed and rubbed my temples. "Yesterday, I was leaving ninth period, so I got to the back of the crowd so that maybe, she might bump into me…" I ignored the snicker from Trish. "And all the students left, even the teacher had left, and she was still in her seat." They shot confused glances my way, and I shrugged. "I asked her if she was leaving and she shook her head, and when I asked her why, she said, and I quote, 'I have… stuff to do…'."

Dallas's face scrunched together. "What the hell does that mean?" he questioned. I shrugged. "And then she thanked me for not giving her this note that Trent had intended for her to read, and then said stuff about people and how she knows what's going on around her. It's so frustrating not knowing about her, yet it makes me like her even more and it's even more annoying that Trent is out to get her. I just want to punch him. But she won't tell me anything or leave me any clues, all I want is to figure her out, and, and, and I just want to freaking kiss her!" I rant, my voice strained.

They looked at me with their mouths hung open. I relax and lean back into my chair.

"Do you have the note?" Trish asks slowly. I take a deep breath and nod. I pull out my folder and take out the small piece of paper. I hand it over to Trish and she reads it, her face falling into a big frown. "This is terrible!" she shrieked, throwing the note near Dallas and Dez. They both take a look at it and scoff. "Who in their right mind thinks this is okay?" Dallas asks. "I know!" I agree, taking a look at the note again. "Go to hell? She does not deserve to go to hell!" I shout, slamming the note down on the table.

Dez straightens out a bit. "Dude…" he said seriously. "You really do like this girl!"

All the attention was suddenly on me, and my face heated up a little bit. "It's just a crush," I say, looking at my half eaten sandwich. "I think it's a little bit more than a crush…" Dallas muttered. My eyebrow shot up. "Are you suggesting that I'm in love her?" I asked, kind of surprised. "No," Trish corrected. "He's suggesting that you're starting to FALL in love with her."

I thought about this. Am I falling in love with Ally Dawson?

Before I could answer my question, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. I wave to them and dump the rest of my sandwich in the trash. I walk out the doors and head to my next period, chemistry.

When I arrive, I take a seat next to Ralphy Hayes, my lab partner. I smile at him and he gives me a nod. I start drawing on the side of the table. Soon enough, everyone was at their seats, and the bell had rung. Mrs. Norton walked up to the front of the class and announced we would be doing a lab that was going to determine if we knew the safety rules. She passed out the supplies, and told us we could begin. Before anyone could do anything, a girl named Mindy raised her hand and told Mrs. Norton that she forgot the safety goggles. Mrs. Norton laughed and gave Mindy extra credit for remembering. "Austin," she called over to me. I looked up. "Can you go to the storage closet in the hallway and grab the bin with the 6th period safety goggles?" I nodded and got up.

I walked to the storage closet across the hallway, and searched for the bin. I finally see it on the top shelf. I grab it, and am about walk out when something catches my eye. On the ceiling, there is some sort of trapdoor with a string coming down from it. I examine the string and then pull it.

It swings open, and a ladder comes falling down, barely missing my toe. I look up, curious of what was up there. A piece of old, tattered paper comes floating down, falling on my face. I take it off and look at it, but it was blank. I look back at the ladder and sigh. I don't have time to explore right now. I shove the paper in my pocket and pulled the string again, and the ladder swings back up, and the door closes.

Before it could any weirder, I back out of the closet, shutting the door behind me. I run into the classroom and hand Mrs. Norton the goggles. She smiles at me, and I grab mine. I sit back down in my seat while other students come rushing to the front of the room to retrieve their goggles. I take the piece of paper out of my pocket, and I look at it, confused. Why would there be a random piece of old, brown paper up in that trap door? And more importantly, why is it blank?

Then I think of something. I slowly turn the paper over, and my suspicions were correct. There was writing on the back. I face-palm myself for being so stupid. Not being able to contain myself, I anxiously read the paper.

_June 5__th__, 2012_

_Dear songbook,_

_Junior year is finally over. I can't believe what has happened this year. I have always hoped that things would get better. Well, nothing has gotten better. Things have gotten worse. I can't believe I let Trent blackmail me like that. He swore if I dated him he wouldn't start those rumors, but when I dumped him, he did, and now I have even more scars. People are going to start noticing and then SHE is going to punish me for it. I can't bear to do more work. I am exhausted and tired and I just want to be normal, like everyone else. I am waiting and waiting but no one never comes to save me, and I have a feeling senior year isn't going to be much better. I got to go; it's almost 3:15._

_Love, the girl that is waiting for a knight in shining armor_

My eyes widen as I read the paper.

There is only one girl I know that has rumors flying everywhere because of Trent.

Ally Dawson.

I clutch the paper tightly, re-reading it over and over. Trent blackmailed her into dating him? That bastard! And what does she mean by everything else? Who is the "she" that's going to punish her, and why is she so tired? Why does she need a knight in shining armor? And most importantly, why did she need to go at 3:15?

My thoughts soared back to yesterday when she said she had stuff to do. She said that when the bell rang, otherwise known as 3:15!

What does she need to do at 3:15 every day?

I thought of how the paper fell out of the trap door, and realization dawns on me.

"Mrs. Norton!" I call, standing up and walking over to her. "Can I use the restroom?"

"Sure, but take a pass!" she said sweetly, handing me a bathroom pass. I smile at her and bolt out the door, running straight to the closet. I let myself in, closing the door behind me, and yank the string down. The ladder comes falling down, this time actually hitting my toe, but I didn't care. I took a deep breath and shove the paper in my back pocket. I jumped onto the ladder and climbed it. I had reached the trapdoor, and there was no light, but there was still a little ladder left to climb. I kept climbing until my head hit the ceiling, causing another trapdoor to pop open, revealing light.

I pulled myself up and took in my surroundings. I was outside, and I appeared to be on a flat surface, where suddenly the ground drops. I go to the edge and look down. I realize I am on the roof, which is restricted to students.

I scan the area, and something catches my eye. Most of the roof is covered with crates, but in a corner, there is some sort of bin thing, with a guitar lying next to it. I was confused. What was a guitar doing on the roof?

I approached it and peered inside. My breath hitched when I see what was inside.

Inside the crate, along with many other things, was a brown, leather book with a pink A on it.

The same book Ally dropped yesterday.

**(A/N: Cliffy! What did you guys think? I am liking this story a lot. I would be interested to know what you guys think Ally Dawson's secret is. Review telling me your guess. Fyi, I would like to inform you that this story was going to be around fifteen chapters long, including an epilogue. R&R!)**


	4. Thoughts

**(A/N: Hello! I'm back once again. I can safely say that none of your guesses were correct, but some of them were on the right track. I don't want to make you wait any longer, so… here it is!)**

**Austin's POV**

I stared at the book lying in the bin. What was Ally's book doing here? She had it yesterday; I handed it to her when she bumped into me.

I carefully picked it up, making sure not to damage it. It was very old and torn. I flip through the pages. They were all brown and ripped. The book opened to a page where it looked like a page had ripped out. My eyes widened and I took out the paper from my back pocket. I smoothed it out and held it up to the book. Sure enough, the ripped ends fit perfectly.

I read the diary entry again carefully; my eyes lingering on her goodbye. Love, the girl waiting for her knight in shining armor. My eyes widened in realization.

I could be her knight in shining armor. I can save her from whatever is causing her pain.

I will be her knight in shining armor.

My eyes fell upon the bin. I closed the book, leaving the page inside it, and set it beside me. I reached into the crate and pulled out what was inside.

There was a pair of sneakers, textbooks, a necklace, a watch, an iPod shuffle, a stuffed dolphin, and a pillow. That was it. What was all this stuff doing here? Did they belong to Ally?

I glanced back over at the guitar. I picked it up and ran my fingers across its strings. I find myself starting to strum it slowly. I know I am playing a song I have heard before, but I couldn't put my finger in it.

Then it hit me. I start to sing slowly, not caring that no one would hear me. I was lost in the moment.

_Found myself at your door,  
Just like all those times before,  
I'm not sure how I got there,  
All roads they lead me here._

_I imagine you are home,  
In your room, all alone,  
And you open your eyes into mine,  
And everything feels better,_

And then I heard the inevitable.

I heard another voice.

I look up and see freaking Ally Dawson standing in front of me, singing along, looking as beautiful as always.

I want to stop. I want to say something.

But I don't.

I sit there and sing, staring into her big doe eyes, wondering how the fuck a girl could get so perfect.

_Right before your eyes,  
I'm breaking and fast,  
No reasons why,  
Just you and me._

This is the last time I'm asking you this,  
Put my name on the top of your list,  
This is the last time I'm asking you why,  
You break my heart in the blink of an eye.

I stop singing. I couldn't continue if I wanted to, which I did. While I sit there with my jaw dropping to the floor, she keeps singing.

_You find yourself at my door,  
Just like all those times before,  
You wear your best apology,  
But I was there to watch you leave,_

And all the times I let you in,  
Just for you to go again,  
Disappear when you come back,  
Everything is better.

I softly sing again, trying not to jump up and kiss the life out of the girl._  
_  
_When right before your eyes,  
I'm aching, run fast,  
Nowhere to hide,  
Just you and me…_

This is the last time I'm asking you this,  
Put my name on the top of your list,  
This is the last time I'm asking you why,  
You break my heart in the blink of an eye, eye, eye…

We alternate lines, and I see a tiny twinkle in her eyes. She wasn't smiling, but her eyes were.

_This is the last time you tell me I've got it wrong,  
This is the last time I say it's been you all along,  
This is the last time I let you in my door,  
This is the last time, I won't hurt you anymore._

Oh, oh, oh,

_This is the last time I'm asking you this,  
Put my name on the top of your list,  
This is the last time I'm asking you why,  
You break my heart in the blink of an eye._

She sings and I echo her, and I try to remember where we are, and what my name is. _  
_  
_This is the last time I'm asking you this, (this is the last time I'm asking you this)  
Put my name on the top of your list, (name on the top of your list)  
This is the last time I'm asking you why, (this is the last time I'm asking you why)  
You break my heart in the blink of an eye. (You break my heart…)_

This is the last time I'm asking you this,  
Last time I'm asking you this,  
Last time I'm asking you this,  
Last time I'm asking you this.. (x3) **(1)**__

We fade out and end the song. For a few seconds, we just stare at each other. Then I remember where we are, and what is going on around us.

I blink a couple times. Should I tell her I found out about everything on that paper? No, I can't… not yet. I don't know enough yet.

I look at her; she's biting her lip, wondering what to do next. She looked so beautiful, so amazing, her voice was incredible, and all I am thinking is,

Where has she been all my life?

Then I see her glance down next to me. I follow her gaze, and land on her book. She swiftly runs over and grabs it. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. She backs away slowly, fear in her eyes. Then she turns around and climbs down the trap door, leaving me alone with the guitar.

What the hell just happened?

I'm pinching myself because that didn't seem real. We sounded so utterly magical together that it seemed unreal.

Once I register that what happened was indeed real, I set the guitar down and climb down the trapdoor. I reach the closet, and I pull the string, and it folds the whole thing up. As soon as I leave the closet, the bell signaling the end of 6th period rings. I turn to go head to my math class when I bump in to someone.

I look up to see who it is and I wince. Crap…

The person standing there is none other than Cassidy Hertz, otherwise known as the principal's daughter.

Cassidy is a clingy, lip gloss wearing bitch with an attitude. If you ever upset Cassidy, you have a one way ticket to the principal's office. Guys who go out with Cassidy and break up with her get expelled more than half the time.

Sure, she's pretty. She's tall and skinny, she has long dirty-blonde hair, and sparkling blue eyes. But there is more to a person than looks. It's character that counts. And let me just say, Cassidy's character is not the best.

"Sorry," I mumble, trying my best to walk away, but failing miserably. "Austy!" she squeals, throwing her arms around me. "I haven't seen you in FOREVER!" I sigh. I'm not leaving anytime soon.

"Cassidy," I sigh, breaking away. "We aren't dating. Don't call me Austy." She frowns and puts her hands on her hips. "That would change if you just asked me a certain question," she flirts, playing with my hair. I back away and say, "Yeah… no."

Before she could say or do anything else, I spin on my heels and stalk off towards my math class, praying I wouldn't be called down to the office later.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"And that concludes our lesson on the road to knighthood!" Mr. Bruner said, taking his knight helmet off and setting it on the table. Don't ask.

I glance at Ally, who was picking at her fingernails. She hasn't looked at me once since she walked in. I tried to get her attention, but she wouldn't even turn her head. I guess she doesn't want to talk about what happened earlier.

I still don't really know what happened; all I remember was how perfectly in sync we were together. It's like we were meant to sing together.

I remember how the wind blew her hair to the side.

I remember the twinkle in her eyes. That beautiful spark that made me want to get up and dance.

I remember that moment when we ended, and how I didn't care what was going on around me.

I remember her running away, leaving me confused and alone.

I remember it ending, and wishing it hadn't.

But that's it. That's all I remember.

And since that moment ended, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. What is she doing to me?

I sigh when I think of the beginning of 9th period. She had been late, just like yesterday, and when she walked in, I fell out of my seat. Yep, fell out of my seat. People stared, but I didn't really notice. All I could see was the cut that was stretched along the side of her face, oozing blood. I had rubbed my eyes, hoping I was having a nightmare. But I wasn't. I was awake.

While I was picking myself up, Mr. Bruner asked her if she was okay, and she said she was fine, and that it was just an accident on the way there. Mr. Bruner believed it, but I didn't. Her eyes were a bit red, showing that she had been crying at least a little bit, and I glanced at her a couple times during class, and she had been touching it softly, and wincing.

How have these things been happening to her? And more importantly, who has been doing them?

Once I find out who has, things are going to get ugly. Very, very, very ugly.

The bell rings, snapping me out of my thoughts. I get up and gather my stuff, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see Ally not moving, staying seated. I look in the back where Mr. Bruner was getting his stuff together, and slipping on his coat. He picks up his computer case and walks out, with many kids trailing behind him. I was the last one to step towards the door, and before I walked out, I stopped and turned to Ally, who was staring at her hands.

We were alone for the first time since, well, you know…

I wanted to say something to her. I wanted to ask her if she felt the connection too. I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to demand to know who was doing those terrible things to her.

So, I opened my mouth.

But nothing came out.

I didn't know what to say. I really didn't. I mean, what do you say to an angel?

So I turned. And I walked away.

The last thing I remember before walking out was a small strained voice that whispered, "Bye."

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"See you tomorrow, buddy!" called Dez from his car. I waved at him as he drove away. I walked up the front steps and pushed my keys into the lock, turning them, unlocking the door.

I stepped in and shook the cold rain off myself. I took my jacket off and climbed up the stairs. I stripped of my clothes and climbed into my bed, with only boxers on. I pulled the sheets over me and thought of what had happened.

I had gone to a party. My parents weren't there to stop me, so I did. It's their fault, not mine.

It wasn't even fun. I drank, of course, who didn't at those parties? I did not, however, get drunk, like most of the kids there did. I wasn't in a good enough mood to get drunk.

No matter what I did, all I could think of is Ally. I don't know what is wrong with me. I can't get her out of my head. Whenever I'm around her, my heartbeat speeds up, my throat gets dry, and I am at a loss for words **(2)**.

I sigh and lean back into my pillow, and think of everything that happened today.

A lot happened today. A lot.

It's weird though, because the only thing I really know is that Ally is in trouble. I don't know from who, or how, but I know I'm going to figure it out.

I look at the clock. 1:21 am. I sigh and close my eyes.

I decide right then and there that I was Ally's knight in shining armor, and I would protect her, even if that meant risking my own life.

**Ally's POV**

I jolt awake, breathing heavily. I felt damp and cold.

I push my hair out of my eyes, water droplets spraying everywhere. I blink a couple times, trying not to freak out.

I looked at my watch, and the time read 1:21 am. I shivered violently, and tried to shake off what I had just seen.

The cut along my face stung badly, and it had started bleeding again, but it didn't matter.

I knew something. Something that would change my life, but I didn't know it yet.

I knew that my knight in shining armor was coming.

I didn't know how, I didn't know when, and I didn't even know who, but I could feel it in my gut.

There was someone coming to save me. It almost made me smile. I haven't smiled in three years, yet just a tiny thought almost made me smile.

I am finally going to be saved.

**(A/N: That's the end! There are a couple hidden clues to Ally's secret hidden in there, but you have to pay close attention to find them. Sorry I updated kind of late, but like Austin, I was at a party. I also died my hair purple. Fun stuff. Anyway, try guessing Ally's secret again because none of you are getting it! Though it is actually quite complicated, so I doubt any of you will guess it. But I'll make you a deal. If you guess it, I will PM you telling you if you got it correct. I got to go! Bye!**

**1) This is The Last Time by Taylor Swift and Gary Lightbody. It doesn't have anything to do with anything, but I think it is just a wonderful duet and every time I listen to it, I can feel the feelings the artist were creating. It really sounds like they were lost in the moment, and that's why I used it.**

**2) You're in love, genius!) **


	5. Hope

**(A/N: I am back! It's my last day of winter break D:! I can't stand it, I hate my school. You guys still haven't guessed it! Okay, I would also like to point out that a lot of you guys thought Ally cut herself. I just want to clarify, I don't write in about people cutting themselves. I am honestly completely freaked out about that kind of stuff. Ally does not hurt herself. Understand? Okay, read now!)**

**Austin's POV**

I walked across the hallway, dragging my feet. My eyes drooped and I had trouble keeping them open.

I guess I had more alcohol then I thought I did. I didn't have a hangover; I can remember what happened last night. But when I woke up, my head was pounding. Not even an aspirin could help. I don't think staying up late helped either. I am completely exhausted.

I was on my way to homeroom, when something suddenly made me more alert. There, leaning against his locker, was Trent Holt, dangling a familiar leather book above a familiar brunette girl's head. Anger rushed through my body. Why did he think these things were okay?

He had a smirk on his face as Ally jumped in the air, trying to retrieve her book. He was enjoying himself far too much. She had a look of helplessness on her face. She knew she wouldn't be able to reach his level, yet she tried anyways.

Not being able to control my anger, I stiffed up and stomped over to where Trent was. He turned his head, his smirk was quickly replaced with a scowl. I quickly glanced over at Ally, who was staring at the ground.

"Trent!" I growled, stretching out my hand. "Come on, hand it over!" A cocky grin lit up his face. "Why should I?" he smirked. My face twitched. "Because there is no way a cocky, arrogant bastard should be touching an innocent teen girl's stuff," I reply. "You don't have the right." He frowns and says, "I can touch whatever I want to touch!" I can feel my blood boil. "No you can't!" I corrected, taking the chance to rip the book out of his hands. He takes a step back, and then his face twists into an evil scowl. "I'll remember this, Moon!" he threatens, turning to head to homeroom. I roll my eyes and turn to Ally. She looked up at me shyly.

I suddenly realize how close we are. We don't even have a foot in between us. I look down at her (considering I'm around eight inches taller than her), and see that the cut on her face had scabbed up.

Before I think about what I was doing, I reach out and touch it gently. She cringed, but didn't move away. "Are you okay? Please be honest…" I whispered, stroking the cut carefully. She takes a deep breath and shakes her head in response. That's what I thought.

"Do you need help?" I ask, and she nods. "Will you allow me to help?"

She doesn't do anything, just stares into my eyes, before finally shaking her head no. I sigh and pull my hand away. She opens her mouth, and then closes it. All of a sudden, her eyes widen, and she staggers, as if she were to fall over. I catch her and set her back up. "Careful…" I say with a smile. I wait for her to smile back, but it doesn't happen.

I clear my throat and hold out her book. She looks down at it and takes it. Then she backs off, and turns to walk away. I sigh and turn away too. I start walking towards homeroom.

I stop when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around, and she's standing in front of me again. "Thank you…" she whispers, not daring to meet my eyes. I nodded and turned around again. "Wait!" I heard a voice call. I look behind me and suddenly, she's in my arms, her face buried in my chest. I'm dazed at first, but then I return the hug, a small smile forming on my face.

She pulls away and looks up at me.

And then she smiled.

Just a little one. But that didn't matter. That was the first time I had ever seen her smile. And it warmed my insides.

Then she turned away and ran in the other direction, leaving me grinning ear to ear.

And all of a sudden, my head didn't hurt that much anymore.

**Ally's POV**

Oh my god. Oh my god!

It had all hit me like a ton a bricks.

He had asked me if I would let him help me, and I couldn't say yes. I wanted to, but if I did that meant I would have to tell him about what happened. I'm not allowed to do that.

I was going to say thank you when I stared into his chocolaty brown eyes and knew. I almost fell over with shock.

Austin Moon was my knight in shining armor.

I knew it. I just knew. The way he stroked my cut shot electricity through my skin, rendering me speechless.

He was my savior.

And that scared me. I don't like bringing people into my life. I never really have brought a person into my life. I can't let them know who I really am, because quite honestly, I'm a mess. My life's a mess. It always has been, and it always will be.

I always thought my knight in shining armor wouldn't really save me from my life, because there is not a lot of ways of escaping it. I always thought he would just provide a temporary escape for everything that cruel fate has awarded me with.

But I see in Austin's eyes that he wants to figure me out. He wants to get me out of the state I'm in. He wants to… keep me safe.

I don't know if I can let him. It puts him in too much danger. They are not afraid to kill him to keep our "little secret" from getting out to the public. I can't let him figure me out. I can't let him save me from what's happening. As much as I want him to, I can't. This is my problem, not his.

I don't even think I can let him provide an escape. It's a big risk.

He made me smile anyway. I really didn't want to. I really didn't.

But I did.

I did because he was making me feel warm inside. That was something I haven't felt in a long, long time. Almost seven years, to be exact. I did want to because he was trying so hard to be there for me, and I was pushing him away, not that I had the choice, though. I wanted to make him feel like the feelings were there.

But I didn't.

I didn't because I can't grow close to someone. I can't. I never will be able to. It's because of the stuff I'm going through. The horrors of my life.

When he asked me if I was okay and I shook my head, I was telling the truth. I was not ok. He was so close, and the scary thing was, I didn't mind. I enjoyed it. I can't enjoy that stuff. I just can't. He doesn't know what my life really is like. Honestly, my life makes hell look like an improvement.

Sometimes I dream about what it would be like to have a normal life, like everyone else. Yes, I know, not everyone's life is perfect. Some kids have parents going through problems, or the money is tight so they don't get everything they want.

But people don't understand that I am living a lie. I hate lying so much, but I can't not lie anymore. My life is made up of lies, and I can't escape them, even if I tried. I stopped trying a while ago.

And I'm scared. I'm scared of the people I see every day. I'm scared of waking up in the morning and dying before the next. I'm scared that someone will find out, and I'll be in trouble. Big trouble.

And here I am, smiling for the first time in three whole years, at a boy who is trying so hard to figure me out, trying so hard to reach out.

And I want to cry. I want to run and hide. I want to die. I always have but I could never bring myself to do it, because I have hope.

I have hope that one day things will change. I have hope that one morning I will wake up and not have to face their cruel punishments. I have hope that one day, someone will love me.

I know it will probably never happen. But a girl can dream.

Stupid hope.

**Austin's POV**

Ever since this morning, I have had a permanent smile plastered on my face. I buy my lunch and wish the lunch lady a good day. I plop down in my seat, and look at my friends, smiling like an idiot. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" I sigh, staring off into space.

Dez cocks an eyebrow, Dallas's mouth hangs open, and Trish smiles. "Spill!" she ordered, popping a fry in her mouth. I smile at them and say, "She smiled at me!"

Dallas and Dez start laughing hard, and Trish tried to stifle her giggles, but it didn't hide the smile she was trying to keep in. "Austin," she said, rolling her eyes in good nature. "She just smiled at you. It's not a big deal." My face fell. "NO!" I denied, and my friends stopped laughing, surprised by my sudden change of mood. "She's never done that before! I haven't seen her smile since I met her. Not to me, not to anyone else!"

"Damn," Dallas said, folding his arms. "You're crazy for this girl!"

I blushed and looked down. I did realize I had a little bit more than a crush on Ally, but it isn't love. Is it?

"Whatever…" I say sheepishly. I don't want my friends making fun of me. "She also hugged me!" I say, perking up. Dez smiled in awe. "When did all of this happen?"

I smiled at the memory. "Well, I was walking in hallway," I began, staring at their interested faces. "And I saw Trent taunting her, waving her book in front of her." Trish face dropped into a scowl. "That's just like him," she scowled, angrily chopping down on a french fry. "Anyway," I laughed, amused at my friend's appetite. "I went over there and called him off, taking her book away from him. He stormed off, and then I was in front of Ally, and she had a cut from yesterday on her head that was healing. I couldn't stop myself, I touched it. And then get this, I asked her if she was okay, and she shook her head no!"

Trish's mouth dropped. Dallas's eyebrow's knit together, and Dez just shot me a weird expression. I nodded. "I know right, it's weird," I sighed, lying back in my chair. "And then I asked her if she needed help, and she said yes, and then I asked her if she would let me help her. She said no."

My friends became even more confused, staring me down like I was crazy. "Then she hugged me, and thanked me, and then she smiled," I said, that dopey smile returning to my face.

Trish opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the bell rang, and I got up and left the cafeteria, smile and all.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"Remember the assignment due tomorrow!" Mr. Bruner shouts as the bell rang. I gathered my stuff and smiled at Ally, who remained unmoving in her seat. She waved at me and played with her thumbs, taking in slow breaths, obviously frightened. I pretended not to notice, and hurried up so I can catch Mr. Bruner before he left.

He was already out the door when I sped up next to him. "Mr. Bruner?" I asked, matching his quick pace. "Hmm?" he grunted, speeding up. "Why do you always leave your class so early?" I asked, and he stopped for a second, and then sped up again. "My room is booked every day after school," he said softly, not meeting my eyes. "For what?" I asked carefully. "The principal doesn't tell me, and he organizes all after school activities. Why don't you talk to him?" Mr. Bruner said, speeding away.

I look where he sped off, surprised at his sudden change in character.

What just happened?

**(A/N: Okay, sorry if that was crappy. I have been sick and I am going through LHW syndrome again and I am just tired. I did my best. Thanks so much for reviewing, and keep doing it! I love reveiws!)**


	6. Hurt

**(A/N: Hey! I am cutting straight to the update. Ignore this now and read! Why are you still reading this cruddy author's note? Skip to the good stuff!)**

**Austin's POV**

I sat at the lunch table, rubbing my head. I took a bite of the burger I had, but it was tasteless.

I have been confused. Mr. Bruner is a totally open guy, but yesterday he snapped at me when I asked what his room is always booked for. I am trying to figure out what they could possibly be doing in there, when a figure walks up in front of me. I look up and scowl.

Trent Holt. What did he want from me now?

"Moon…" he growls, slapping a fist into his palm. "I have to teach you a little lesson." I snort and turn back to my burger. "I'm not fighting with you, Trent," I snap. There is no reason to fight.

"Moon…" he begins, an evil look in his eye. "I don't like it when you stand up for Dawson. It ruins my fun." I feel blood boiling. "Dude…" I say, standing up. "It's not okay to treat people like that. Have some respect. The world doesn't revolve around you."

He through his arms out, taunting me to come at him. "Why shouldn't I tease Dawson?" he asked loudly, attracting attention from students around us. "She's a whore with no life, and she deserves to know it." I stiffen up, and get ready to attack if necessary. "You take that back." I announce sternly, anger rising. He smirks and takes a step closer to me. "Looks like Moon has a new girlfriend!" he bellowed, causing kids to hoot around us. Kids had already begun to circle us, watching the argument intensely. My face twitches and I want to strangle the dude. "At least I could get a girlfriend!" I retorted, and the kids around us laughed at Trent, whose face was starting to light up. "Oh please!" he shouted through the laughter. "I dated Ally long before you knew her name!"

I smirked and replied, "Really, because I heard from a little birdie that you blackmailed her into dating you!" All around the kids snickered, and Trent's eyes widened. Suddenly, he lunged at me, knocking me to the ground. He put his hand to my throat, and screamed, "Who did you hear that from?"

I pushed him off of me, and rolled over, causing me to have him pinned down. "No one. I figured it out myself!" I gloated. He growled and knocked me off of him. We both jumped up and kids screamed, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" all around us. Trent narrowed his eyes and swung on me, but I ducked and kicked his leg down, knocking him to the floor. Kids screamed as I pounced on him and started punching him left and right. He hit me a few times, but it didn't compare to the damage I was doing on him.

"Don't." Punch. "Ever." Punch. "Touch." Punch. "Ally." Punch. "Dawson!"

He lay back on the ground, breathing heavily. I stood up and glared at him, and he flinched. Blood drips down from my forehead, but I couldn't care less. The whole room went silent as I pushed through the crowd and left the cafeteria.

I knew exactly where I was headed. I don't know why I wanted to go there, but I did want to. I head in the direction of the science wing and go straight to the closet. I open it up, pull the string, and the ladder falls down. I grab a rung and climb up it slowly. When I reach the second trap door, I stop.

I listen and hear the sound of a guitar. I slowly open the trap door, making sure she wouldn't hear it, and listen to a beautiful voice sing.

_Put your lips close to mine  
As long as they don't touch_  
_Out of focus, eye to eye  
Till the gravity's too much  
And I'll do anything you say  
If you say it with your hands  
And I'd be smart to walk away  
But you're quick sand_

This slope is Treacherous  
This path is reckless  
This slope is Treacherous  
An like it

I can't decide if it's a choice  
Getting swept away  
I hear the sound of my own voice  
Asking you to stay  
And all we are is skin and bone trained to get along  
Forever going with the flow but you're friction

This slope is Treacherous  
This path is reckless  
This slope is Treacherous  
I I I like it

Two headlights shine through the sleepless night  
And I will get you get you alone  
Your name has echoed through my mind  
And I just think you should think you should know  
That nothing safe is worth the drive  
And I will follow you follow you home, follow you follow you home

This hope is Treacherous  
This day dream is dangerous  
This hope is Treacherous  
I I I , I I I, I I I

Two headlights shine through the sleepless night  
And I will get you get you alone  
Your name has echoed through my mind  
And I just think you should think you should know  
That nothing safe is worth the drive  
And I will follow you follow you home  
I'll follow you follow you home  
I'll follow you follow you home  
I'll follow you follow you home  
This slope is Treacherous  
I I I like it

**(1)**

I hold on, trying not to fall from the ladder.

She's just so perfect. There is not one flaw in that human being.

I hear footsteps, and try to scramble down the ladder, but my leg is bleeding and it hurt too much for me to move. I look up, and she's standing there, gazing down at me. The light shines from behind her and she looks like an angel sent down from heaven.

She smiles slightly again, and it makes me smile back. "Oh Austin Moon…" she sighs, and my heart flutters. I like it when she says my name. "What am I going to do with you?" She extends a hand and I gladly take it. She gives me a boost up and I step onto the roof.

She's really close to me, and she hasn't let go of my hand yet. Not that I'm complaining.

She smirks and gently reaches up to touch the deep cut on my forehead. I cringe and she whispers, "Are you okay? Please be honest…"

It suddenly hits me. She's repeating the moment we had yesterday. I shake my head. "Do you need help?" she says softly, not ripping her eyes away from mine. I nod my head. "Will you allow me to help?"

I automatically nod my head, maybe a bit too soon. Her head leans back and she laughs, and it sounds like music. I smile at the thought that I made her laugh.

She drops my hand and walks over to the bin of stuff, and I follow her like a lost puppy. She digs through it and pulls out a tiny tube of cream. I lay down, propping myself against the wall that keeps people from falling off the edge of the roof. She kneels next to me and puts a tiny drop of cream on her finger.

"Okay, this may sting," she whispers as she nears her finger to my forehead. She rubbed the cream over the cut, and I wince. It does sting.

She makes eye contact with me for a split second, and then looks away shyly. She looks at my jeans, with were soaked in blood. She carefully lifted the pant leg and stares at the cut.

It was pretty deep. There were bits of black along the side, which wasn't a good sign. I wince and she rubs my knee sympathetically. She takes the tube and squirts some on her hand, and slowly massaged it into the cut. I cry in pain, it hurt pretty bad.

Once she finished, she leaned against the wall next to me, so we were sitting shoulder to shoulder. We sit there for a couple minutes in silence. All of the sudden, she leaned her head on my shoulder, and my heart melted.

"Austin, I'm sorry…" she apologized softly. I stroked her hair. "For what?" I ask. She takes a breath. "For being the reason you got hurt," she whispered. I realize what she is saying and I say, "Don't be. The bastard deserved it. Why were you in there anyway? I never see you in there."

She pulls her head off my shoulder and scans my face. "No reason…" she whispered.

I knew there was a reason. But I didn't want to bother her anymore, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Ally?" I say after a few minutes. She looks at me. "I haven't heard that song you were singing before. Did you write it?" She blushed and nodded her head slowly.

We lock eyes and the sexual tension was killing me. I wanted to grab her and kiss the life out of her. But I kept myself under control. She doesn't seem ready for that… yet.

The bell rings from underneath us, and she sighs. She stands up and offers her hand. I gladly take it, and she heads toward the trap door.

"You should probably stay up here for a little while," she says slowly. I cock my head to the side, confused. "If we both leave the closet at the same time, people might think we were… doing things," she said shyly. We both blush and she waves at me, and then disappears under the roof.

I wait a couple minutes, and then retreat down the trapdoor. I walk out of the closet after pulling the string. I head on my way towards chemistry class, thinking about a certain brunette.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

I glance towards the door nervously. I'm getting worried.

It's halfway through ninth period, and Ally still hasn't shown up. I mean, she's always late with some sort of injury, like yesterday, she had a bruise on her neck, but it is always a couple minutes late, not halfway through the period!

I was always worried about her when she came in late. She always was hurt in some way, and I knew someone was doing it to her. I thought that once I found out what was happening to Ally, I would fix it. But now she's still not here, and I'm worried.

"Mr. Moon?" Mr. Bruner said, staring at me. I whip my head over to him and he says, "I asked you a question."

I panic and open my mouth, but before I could say anything, Mr. Bruner says, "Are you feeling alright? I think you should go to the nurse." He winks at me and glances at the empty chair next to me. I smile at him and say, "Yeah, my head does hurt. I think I'll go now."

I get out and quickly walk out the door and into the hallway. I run through the halls, searching for hints of Ally anywhere, but there was no sign of her.

I circled the entire school twice, but with no luck. Ally was nowhere to be found. I was seriously worried.

I decided to head back to class. There was really nothing else I could do.

I was about to turn the corner when I heard something come crashing down in the janitor's closet. Curious, I opened the closet door and gasped at what was inside.

Ally Dawson, broken, bruised, and bleeding, was lying on the ground, almost unconscious.

She stared at me for a second, and then mouthed help, just before fluttering her eyes closed.

I couldn't move. All I could see was blood and bruises. She was bleeding from her nose, mouth, arms, legs, everywhere. She had bruises up her arm and the cut on her face had opened up again. She looked like she was dying. Knew she wasn't, the wounds weren't that severe, but they were all over her body.

I took a careful step towards her and scooped her up in my arms. She was so light, and I could feel the bones in her back. I walked out of the closet and ran to the science wing, where I went into the storage closet. I pulled the string and swung Ally over my back. I climbed the ladder, careful not to drop her, and pulled her on to the roof. I ran to the bin and placed her down gently. She was unconscious.

I dug through the bin until I finally found the tube of cream. I put some on my fingers and slathered it on her wounds. I had done them all except the cut on her head, which looked really bad. I gently pressed the cream on the wound, and she jolted awake. She looked at me and then touched the cut, quickly retracting her hand. Tears poured down her face, but she didn't make a sound, allowing me to put the cream on her cut.

I finished and we locked eyes. She was like a little angel that had fallen. I wiped the tears away from her eyes, and she let me, just before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

I stared at her exhausted body and wondered what had happened to her. The poor girl.

I could feel myself leaning closer and closer to her, and before I knew it, my lips were a centimeter away from hers. I scanned her injured face and then closed the gap.

Yes, I did kiss Ally Dawson. It shot electricity up my body, and I could feel myself wanting more and more. But, she did not wake up when I pulled away. She was still asleep, and she never would know it happened.

I leaned myself up against the wall next to her. I applied more and more cream to the cut, until there was barely any left over. I watched her for ten more minutes, and then the bell rang. She opened her eyes and yawned. She glanced at me and then her eyes widened. "What time is it?" she screamed, trying to stand up. I stood up and helped her. "The bell just rang, so… 3:15?"

Her eyes widened even more and she limped towards the trap door, me trailing behind her. "Where are you going?" I ask as she starts to climb down the ladder. "Mr. Bruner's room," she replied hastily. She made it to the bottom and I followed behind her, closing the door behind us. "Why do you need to be there?" I asked softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. She stopped and turned, looking at me with pain radiating from her eyes. "If I could tell you, I would," she said before trotting away.

And just like that, she was gone.

**(A/N: That's it! You can thank me for updating again today. How did you like it? The story is getting better, leading up to the revealing of the secret! Guess in the reviews and wish me a good first day of school after winter break tomorrow! (That didn't make much sense.)**

**1) If you guys haven't guessed yet, I am a huge Swiftie and this is one of my favorite songs from her. It's called Treacherous. I used it in my other story too, That Girl. Which, by the way, if you haven't read That Girl, you should. It would make me happy!)**


	7. Urgent

**(A/N: Hey! I would first like to congratulate JoeyJar99 for guessing a small part of the secret. Not the whole thing, but a part of it. I asked her not to give it away, so you guys can still guess. Look for clues, if you pay close attention, the secret will slowly reveal itself. Enjoy the update!)**

**Austin's POV**

I quickly run through the halls towards the science wing.

It was lunchtime, and I couldn't take it anymore. I had to know what was going on. I hate not knowing secrets. It eats at me away on the inside. So, I headed to the place I knew where Ally would be.

The roof.

As I whipped around the corner, about to reach the science wing, I slam into another body and crash down to the ground. I automatically jump to conclusions and think its Ally. I think about the injuries she had yesterday and scream, "Oh my God! Are you okay?"

Then I realize that the girl lying on the ground is blonder than Ally, and had blue eyes. I curse in my head as the girl gets up, perfectly fine, and I figure out who she really is.

"No, I'm not okay," Cassidy purrs, putting a finger on my chest. "You gonna make it better?" She leans in close to my face, a smirk on her face. I think of how if she was Ally, she would be a lot shorter, and would complement my height better. Cassidy, however, is almost as tall as me, making me look shorter than I really am. "Um… no," I say, trying to move out of the way.

Cassidy wasn't going to let me off that easy, so she stepped in my way and says, "Hey, hey, hey… why you leaving so soon. I like it where we are."

She leans in closer, trying to get closer to my lips. I take a step back. "Look…" I sigh. "I got to be places, can we talk later?" The corners of her mouth tilt upward into a slight smile. "Did you just ask me for my number?" she asked, crossing her arms with a smile. Before I could say anything, she pulls a pad of paper out of her shiny blue designer purse. She whips out a pink gel pen and scribbles something down. She tears the piece off and holds it out. "Call me," she says with a wink.

Just to humor her, I take it and say, "Will do." She blows me a kiss and struts away. I shake my head and remember why I was there in the first place. After dumping Cassidy's number into the garbage, I burst into the storage closet, closing the door behind me. I pull the string and the ladder plummets down, like it always has. I climb up the ladder and punch the trap door open.

I expected Ally to be waiting. I expected her to be crying. I expected her to be hurt. I expected her to be bleeding. I even expected her to be scared.

I expected her to be okay.

I didn't expect what I saw.

She was lying on her back, breathing heavily. Her head was resting on the small pillow from her bin. She was bleeding from all the cuts on her body. She was sweating and honestly, looked like she was giving birth, minus the fat part. She is so skinny, it's unhealthy.

And the thing I'm feeling is not fear. It's not worriedness. It's not panic.

It's that funny little feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I realize that I am, in fact, feeling attracted to this girl.

Which is absolutely, positively, insane! This girl is at her worst state. She could not be any worse. She is bleeding from every place imaginable, and literally sweating through her clothes. Yet, she is still the prettiest girl in the world.

This is crazy. What is wrong with me?

I snap away from my thoughts when I hear her moan. I trot over to her and lean over her. Her eyes were closed and tears were streaming down her face. "Ally," I whisper. Her eyes shoot open, and she stares at me. I touch her forehead, and it was scorching hot. "Aust—" she breathes. She screams and cries some more.

I look up and down her body. She's dying.

I know it. She's dying.

She can't die.

She WON'T die.

"Please tell me what's wrong with you!" I whimper, trying really hard not to show my fear. She closes her eyes, and weakly points to her stomach. My eyes widen and I lift her shirt a little, exposing her belly.

It was terrible. You could see the ribs. She was obviously starving. I never knew how skinny she really was. I guess I was too busy drooling over her. "When— when wa was the last time you ate?" I stutter, allowing a few tears to leak out of my eyes. She takes a deep breath and mutters, "Monday."

Monday!? It's Friday!

I let a few shaky breaths escape my mouth, and I run my fingers through my hair. I stand up and say, "I'll be back. I promise."

I sprint to the trap door and swing it open. I slide down the ladder and run out the closet, slamming the door behind me. I run all the way to the cafeteria, and look at the line for food. It was too long. There wasn't enough time. I glance over to where my friends were eating and I get an idea.

I run over to them, and they pivot their heads towards me, smiling. "Austin!" Trish says cheerfully. "Where have you—" "I need that banana!" I cut off, pointing at the banana on her tray. "What—" Dez begins, a look of confusion on his face. "And that water bottle!" I interupt. "That sandwich would help too."

Dallas stops eating his sandwich and looks at me like I had two heads. "Austin, if you're hungry, we can—"

"No!" I scream, letting more tears go down. "I need this now! Please, please, please! It's an emergency!"

They look at me with surprised glances, pick up the food I requested, and held it out. I let a breath of relief out, took the food, and ran away from my confused friends.

I run to the closet and let myself in, realizing I never pulled the string when I left. I closed the closet door and climbed up the ladder rapidly.

When I got up there, Ally was on her side, breathing in and out. I dove to her side and dropped the food next to her. I prop her against the wall and she looks at me with true fear in her eyes. I pick up the half eaten sandwich and break a piece off of it. I put it in her mouth. "Please swallow it!" I say softly. She nods and chews it slowly, and I pretend I don't see blood in her mouth.

She finally swallows it, and her stomach immediately grumbles. I think that was a good sign.

Little by little, I place pieces of food in her mouth, and she swallows them. I make her drink water to wash the blood out from her mouth, which I realize was coming from a cut on the side of her teeth.

She finishes off the last piece of banana, and I sigh. I feel her head, and the temperature was already starting to cool down.

She looks at me, and murmurs my name. I pull her onto my lap, and she melts into my chest. I stroke her hair and she flutters her eyes closed. Her breathing slows and she takes my hand, and I don't want to let go.

I don't know how I could live without her. If I wasn't there, she could have died, leaving my life empty.

I love her.

I love her to the ends of the earth. I don't know what I would do if she wasn't alive. I would probably go through stages of depression or something.

I will never let her go. I will never give up on keeping her safe. I will not back down. I will fight, and fight, and fight until I learn what's going on, and then I will fix it.

I am her knight in shining armor, and will be for all eternity.

She summons the strength to turn and face me, leaving only a small space in between our lips. She scans me, and I whisper, "Why haven't you eaten in so long? I want to help you. Who left you in the closet yesterday? Please tell me."

A tear drops from her eye. "I— I can't tell you," she whimpers, making me break on the inside. Her vulnerability kills me, and I just want to make her better. She won't tell me, and I don't know why. "Why?" I ask softly. She looks down. "Because they'll kill you," she whispers, and my eyes widen.

The bell rings from underneath us, and she slowly gets up, and walks away, not meeting my eyes.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

"Okay!" Mr. Bruner bellows. "The moment you all have been waiting for! Project assignment!" Everyone groans, and I sigh, leaning my head in my hands.

Ally hasn't talked to me.

I know she's afraid. I think she admitted something she didn't want to admit. I think the reason she isn't telling me anything is because the 'they' is keeping her from telling me. But she doesn't have to tell me, because I'll figure it out. At least she didn't arrive late to class today.

"Your project will be a paper on everything you learned in the past week," Mr. Bruner informed, reading off his clipboard. "Show what you know. This is a partner project, and is due on Wednesday. Work with the person next to you. You will have no class time except for until the bell. Begin."

I looked at Ally, and she glanced up shyly at me. I smiled at her, and scooted my desk next to hers. Best. Partner. Ever.

"So, do you want to meet at the Coffee Shop after school? We could work on the project, order a cup of Joe, it could be fun!" I suggest hopefully. She sighed and said, "Austin, I work hard just to afford the clothes on my back. I can't afford coffee."

I smile. "No worries! I can buy!" She shakes her head. My grin falters when I realize I won't be changing her mind. "Well, you can come to my house? Or we could go to yours?" I say hopefully. She takes a big breath in, and runs her finger up and down the scrape on her head. She bites her lip and I smile at how cute she looks. "Just, just…" she stutters, thinking deeply. "Meet me at the school at 6:30. I think I will be finished with ch-, work by then."

I can't help but feel disappointed. I really wanted to get closer to her, and going to her house was the next step. "Okay," I agree reluctantly. She smiles and says, "Alrightie, what do you want to write about?"

For the rest of the period, we try to work but fail miserably. We laugh the entire time about random things, and I swear everyone around us is pissed off about how loud we are being.

It feels good making her smile. She has this contagious laugh that makes me want to laugh along with her. I get the impression that she hasn't felt this relaxed in a long time, and I am happy to be the person that grants her that.

I can't help but love her. The way she does everything is flawless, and I just want to know how to help her. I just want to be the person that sweeps her off her feet. I want her to love me back.

The bell rings and people leave, and I get my stuff. On the way out, I wave at her and walk out, thinking of how today start off like a normal day, and then turned horrifying and magical.

I wish all days were like today.

**(A/N: Cheesy ending! YAY! That was the update, I can't chat, but someone asked me what LHW syndrome was, so I would like to answer that question. LHW syndrome is not an actual disease; it's just what I call severe writer's block, but with a twist. With normal people, when they get writer's block, they want to quit the story. When I get LHW, I want to quit writing for good. I get it a lot; I have a Love Hate relationship with writing. LHW stands for love hate writing.)**


	8. Memories

**(A/N: I have a lot to say before the update. **

**I would like to apologize for not updating before, but as I said, I am going through LHW syndrome, and it is hard for me to write with all of those thoughts telling me to quit. Don't worry, I'm not quitting anytime soon. **

**I would like to thank everyone for reviewing and supporting this story. It just warms my heart to know that people actually enjoy my story. It makes me feel happy :)**

**Special thanks to everyone who urged me to keep going with this story. A lot of you wished me luck with my LHW, and I appreciate it. You guys kept me going!**

**And lastly, I would like to send a thank you to Maae (back of a taxicab). Your reviews were fantastic, and they really contributed to whether or not I kept going with this story. Honestly, when I read the first part of the first one, I thought it was a negative review, but I was far from wrong. You noticed all the little things in the story, and I love how you recognized that it is hard balancing out all the details in this story. It is tougher than it looks. You even complimented me on how long the chapters were (just if you were wondering, 2000-3000 words). And btw, I don't blame you for skipping over my story, considering the unoriginal name and terrible summery. I just like quotes and putting them in the summery is necessary for me. But all in all, I just really, really appreciate it. And because of that, I am dedicating this chapter to Maae. **

**Now, let's go to the update!)**

**Austin's POV**

I pulled into the parking lot of the school. I took a shaky breath in fixed my hair, making sure every strand was in place. It was a bit wet. I should have taken a shower as soon as I got home, but I waited until the last minute. Now I don't look perfect for Ally. Fantastic.

I am really stressing over this project. This is my kinda-sorta first date with Ally, and I want to make sure it's perfect. I don't want to look stupid, I want to impress her. I know, it's a bit pathetic, but I really, really like her. I love her, for crying out loud!

I had dressed a bit fancy, in a blue button-up shirt with a vest over it, and a red tie hanging around my neck. I also wore black ripped jeans with a silver chain clipped to them, and my Nike high tops. I took a shower and drenched myself in cologne. I made my hair perfectly messy, and yet, I still feel like it wasn't enough. I NEED to impress her.

I step out of my car and walk up to the school doors. I still am wondering why we didn't just go to one of our houses. The school should be locked up by now. I push on the door, expecting it to remain closed and secure, but it swings open and I fall to the ground. I hear a laugh above me, and I look up to see Ally Dawson peering down on me, laughing hard. Damn it, I am already blowing it.

She holds out a hand, and I take it. She helps me up and I look at her and try not to drool.

She was wearing the prettiest blue dress ever. It was flowy and causal, paired with a tan vest and brown belt. She had on a pair of blue wedges, and was a good three inches taller than usual.

I realize I'm staring and blush. She glances at her feet and bites her lip. "These are the best clothes I have," she says, staring up at me with a little twinkle in her eyes. I nod and say, "Same here." I motion to my clothes and she laughs. "So…" I said slowly. "Why are we at school anyway? Wouldn't it be easier if we just went to one of our houses?" Her eyes widen and she jerks her head around, as if to check if there was someone watching us. She grabs my hand and pulls me away.

I let her pull me, hypnotized by how pretty her eyes look, and how the cuts are starting to heal. Before I know it, we are at the storage closet, and she opens the door and pulls the string. The ladder swings down and she lets go of my hand. She climbs up the ladder and I follow her.

We climb on to the roof and walk toward the bin. Ally pushes a crate near us and kneels down. She grabs a bag from beside her and unzips it. She pulls out a notebook, some pencils, and some paper, and sets them on the crate, using it as a table. "What do you want to write about?" she asks, tapping the crate with her pencil. I think about it for a second, and then get an idea. "How about the road to knighthood?" I suggest.

Her whole face goes pale. She bites her lip again and I cock my head to the side, confused. It's just some knights! Wait a minute… knights, knights wear armor, knight in shining armor! I blush, and I know she doesn't know I read the entry, but I don't want her to feel uncomfortable. "Or we could write about the Black Death, either one…" I said quickly, and her face turned back to its normal shade of color.

She smiles, causing me to smile, and says, "Sure, Black Death it is. Let's get writing!"

For the next ten minutes, we brainstorm ideas on how to begin the paper, and toss around facts about the Black Death. Somehow Ally ended up in my lap, leaning against my chest. My nose was nuzzled in her hair and I could smell the scent of strawberries floating around me. She was so light, and I remembered how she had almost died earlier today. The thought made me cringe, and she turned her head around, with a look of worry on her face. "Is everything okay?" she asked softly.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

She scooted of my lap and turned to face me. She sat Indian style and looked into my eyes, trying to figure out what had me worried. I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Ally…" I trail off. Ally straightens up, a look of serious etched on her face. "I just want to know why you hadn't eaten in so long."

She goes pale again, and looks at her hands. She looks stressed and scared at the same time, and she looks like she wants to burst. I think she wants to tell me what's going on. I think she wants to, but something is holding her back, and I'm pretty sure it's the 'they' that she mentioned earlier. "It's just… it's just that… um…" she began, not meeting my eyes. I touched her shoulder and her head rose, forcing her to meet her eyes to mine. She took a deep breath. "There has just been some… uh… complications with my bo—… family," she said, scanning my expression.

Complications with her family? What?

"Can you tell me more?" I asked hopefully. She looked up at me, and muttered, "No."

I took a deep breath in and tried to stay calm. You could see the hurt in her eyes. I want her to tell me what's going on. I want her to confide in me. I want to help her. And she won't allow me to.

I know it's not her choice. I know she would rather tell me. You can see it in her expression.

But you can see the pain that she endures every day. I know it's serious, and I know it has to stop now. She wants a knight in shining armor so badly, and I want a princess to save. We both can be that to each other, but if I don't know what's going on, how can I save her from it?

I fiddle with my tie, and mutter a quick, "Ok," before turning back to the work we have to do. The tension in the air is killing me, but I'm focusing on the work, well she sits there, frozen.

Another five agonizing minutes goes by, and she still hasn't returned to work with me. You could feel the awkward, and I'm about to turn to her and say something, when I hear a guitar. I look up, and there she is, sitting in front of me, strumming a guitar. It's a beautiful melody I have never heard before, and I want to lean over and stick my tongue in her mouth, but I don't, because then the amazing voice she owns would have never sung such an incredible song in that very moment.

_I remember tears streaming down your face  
When I said, "I'll never let you go"  
When all those shadows almost killed your light  
I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone"  
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight_

Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
You and I'll be safe and sound

Don't you dare look out your window, darling,  
Everything's on fire  
The war outside our door keeps raging on  
Hold on to this lullaby  
Even when the music's gone  
Gone

Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
You and I'll be safe and sound

Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
La La (La La)  
La La (La La)  
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
La La (La La)

Just close your eyes  
You'll be alright  
Come morning light,  
You and I'll be safe and sound...

Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh oh oh. _[x7]_

**(1)**

She finished the song on the last note, and looked up at me.

I blinked once.

Then twice.

Perfect. Why does everything about her have to be god damn perfect?

She doesn't even try. Cassidy tries so hard to be perfect, and she gets nowhere. Ally is just herself, she doesn't have anyone to impress, because everyone is so caught up in all those rumors that they don't see the girl underneath. The one that is absolutely, positively flawless.

I stood up, and she mirrored me. Her mouth opened to say something, but then dropped shut. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye and I stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace. She wrapped her arms around me and cried silently into my chest. I stroked her hair and she looked up at me with tearstained eyes. "I'm scared," she whispered.

My heart broke.

I stared her down, and tried really hard to restrain myself from kissing her, hard. "You know what?" I asked her. "I am too."

And it was true. I was scared.

I was scared that the next time she needed me, I wouldn't be there to save her.

She buried her head in my chest and cried some more.

I held her and made a promise that I would never let her go.

**Ally's POV**

I couldn't tell him. It would risk everything. I can't risk everything.

So, I sang to him.

Maybe he doesn't know what that song really means. Maybe he doesn't realize that the song holds truth to it. Truth I could never speak to him.

Maybe he doesn't know that every song I write, there is truth to it.

Nothing in that song was fake.

That song is a part of my story. My endless, terrible story that haunts me every single moment of my life.

I can remember everything. I wish I could forget.

We had to run. That's all we could afford to do. He had ordered us to, and as much as I didn't want to leave him, I couldn't afford to see her hurt. We ran past the fire and gunshots headed our way. We reached the house and hid. We prayed that they wouldn't find us. She cried and cried, and asked me to never let her go. I promised her.

But then they came.

And the only way to keep her safe was to sacrifice my safety and well-being. I am where I am today because I risked my life for her.

I told her to stay silent. She stopped crying and realized where I was going. The look on her face showed fear of the shadows outside the tiny house. I promised her once again that I would find her, and I would save her, and that she would be safe and sound. I told her to stay until they left.

Then I walked out the door, and all guns were pointed at me.

I let them take me.

I had too.

Here I am now.

I am scarred. I will be forever.

All I have is stupid, overrated hope that she's not dead, and that someone out there loves me.

But what are the chances of that.

The only thing I have been trying to do for seven years is stay alive.

Stay alert and stay alive.

I don't know if I can do that.

Austin's here.

He's the only one who hasn't hated me for a while.

I wish he hated me. I wish he did. He would be safe from their terrible ways. They wouldn't be able to get to him. They crush anything that gives me the slightest bit of happiness.

He can't be here. He needs to go. He needs to go now.

But I don't know if I could get through anything anymore without him.

He saved my life twice. Two times.

He truly is my knight in shining armor.

And I can't let him go.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

**Austin's POV**

We worked on the project for at least two hours, and the sky grew dark. We didn't finish much due to the fact that we kept laughing and I kept getting lost in her eyes.

"We should get going," Ally said slowly. I tried to keep the look of despair out of my eyes. I wouldn't see her until Monday, and what if something happened to her?

"Let's work here Monday at lunch?" Ally suggest, glancing up at me shyly. I nodded quickly.

We get up to leave when I see her stop and stare behind me. I turn around and gasp.

There, up in the sky, were thousands of little tiny stars, illuminating the pitch black night. They twinkled and shined, looking like little tiny jewels. I looked over at Ally, and saw her looking at the sky in awe, mouth wide open. I put my arm around her waist, and she looks up at me.

Right there, in that moment, everything was perfect.

Our faces started inching closer together, and I was two inches away from those gorgeous lips that I kissed the other day.

They were about to meet when a bug, some sort of beetle, landed on her nose.

I expected her to freak out, like all other girls. Instead she smiled, and gently took the bug in her hand. She held the palm out, and it flew away.

I looked at it as its rear end light up, causing the little light to glow around us.

It was a lightning bug.

Suddenly, little lights lit up everywhere. Lightning bugs flew around us, and it looked like a scene in the movies.

I watched her as she tried to catch them. She's just so real.

She's just so… Ally.

**(A/N: So, what did you think? I like this chapter. Did you like it, Maae? I hope you did, because if it wasn't for you, this chapter would not exist. Thanks once again.**

**1) Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars. I love the emotion of this song and I can just wrap Ally's backstory around it. It's perfect.)**


	9. Fear

**(A/N: Thanks to everyone for reviewing. I enjoyed every single one of them SO much. I just want to say that I try to update every day, because some of you thought I take a little longer. No, I try to update every day. I haven't updated lately because I was at a sleep-a-way camp for the weekend, and I couldn't bring my laptop. So… on with the update!)**

**Note: This chapter is dedicated to Oliver Hershey. You will probably never see this, because I was just another kid in the crowd. But the words you spoke had an effect on me, and I am forever changed. God bless you and your family.**

**Austin's POV**

For two whole days, I didn't leave my room.

What's the point of leaving if Ally's not where I'm going? I felt like a zombie. Being able to breathe, but dead at the same time.

I lay in my bed and thought about her. Worried about her. I tried to figure out what she was hiding.

No luck.

I thought about the songs she wrote. They had so much emotion in them, especially the second one. It was a lullaby, but it wasn't. It seemed like only the chorus was.

I could feel the pain in the lyrics. I think the song is a huge clue to what her secret is. But I don't know what to think anymore.

I also thought of how her eyes twinkled when she stared at the stars.

How warm my stomach felt when I was in her presence.

How she threw her head back when she laughed.

How she seemed so afraid.

The only time-conserving thing I did over the long, agonizing weekend was write a song. I wrote a fabulous, amazing, awesome song for her. I don't know if she will ever hear it, but it's for her.

I hope she's okay. I really am afraid that when I walk through those doors, she won't be there to greet me. I won't see that twinkle. I won't see her head fly back as she laughed.

I'm scared that she will be gone forever.

I don't know what I would do if she was gone forever.

There's a certain point in your life when you come in to contact with something or someone that changes your way of thinking. You start to not care about what other people think of you. You start to look at people in a different way. You look at the stuff people do to other people as ugly and cruel, instead of ignoring it because you had nothing to do with the situation. You start to be more aware of the bad things you do, and try to be better.

Ally is that someone for me.

I can't lose her.

And here I am, standing in front of the storage closet. It's 12:36 exactly, otherwise known as lunchtime. We agreed we would meet here at lunchtime to work on the project.

But I'm afraid to open that door.

What if she's not there? I didn't see her at all this morning! But then again, I don't usually bump into her in the morning. I only really see her in ninth period, sometimes lunch.

I have been standing here for five minutes. I can't move. People have walked past me and stared, but, as I said before, I don't care anymore.

My hand is clasping the handle, but I don't dare pull it down. I have too many fears.

But in the back of my mind, my conscience is shouting that if I never open that door, then I will never see her. I will never know if she is dead or alive. And I have yearned to see her ever since the night with the fire flies.

I have to do it.

I pulled my hand down and pushed open the door. I looked around, and everything was how I left it.

I stepped in and closed the door. The light bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered. I took a deep breath and pulled the string. The ladder fell down and I climbed up it. I reached the last trap door and swung it open, pulling myself onto the roof. I looked around, and suddenly, fear shot through my veins.

Ally was lying on the ground, on her pillow, bleeding from everywhere. Her eyes were closed, but her tiny stomach slowly moved up and down, signaling that she was breathing.

I dove down next to her and shook her, screaming her name. Her eyes shot open and she jumped on her feet.

"I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! I really didn't mean to—"she stopped, realizing I was there. My heart stopped beating as violently. I sighed and she ran into my arms. She buried her face in my chest and I smiled to myself. Tingles shot up and down my body, making me feel alive for the first time in two days.

She was bleeding. She was hurt. She looked exhausted.

But she was okay. And that's all that matters.

She softened her grip a little and looked up at me. I smiled down at her and wiped the blood staining the corner of her mouth. "You're okay," I breathed. She smiled and her eyes began to water. "Yeah," she replied, breaking the embrace. "I was just… uh… sleeping," she said softly. "You scared me!" I said, with a loud breath in. She threw back her head, her hair falling perfectly behind her, and laughed her contagious laugh. I chuckled, and we locked eyes, than quickly looked away, blushing violently.

"So… um…" she stuttered, looking at her feet. I smiled at her slight dorky quality. "Do you want to work on the project?" she asked, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. I nodded, and she walked over to the corner where the bin was, and tried to pull a crate over, but winced, hurt by her injuries.

I felt a surge of protectiveness go over me, and I ran over to her and searched through the bucket for the cream. I found it, and whipped off the top. I squirted some into my hand and approached her. She looked up at me with shyness in her eyes, and I gave her a soft smile. I rubbed some of the cream onto her arm, and she cringed at the touch.

I kept rubbing the cream over her wounds, until I reached the cut on the side of her face. It had been getting worse, and it looked like it had opened up more than a couple times. Puss was oozing out of it, mixing in with the blood.

I looked down at her, and she looked up with a gaze that told me she didn't want to treat it, because it stung badly. I wanted to pull back, but it would never get better if I didn't rub the cream in.

So, I put a dot of it on my finger, and slowly rubbed it against the cut. She winced and let out a cry of pain, and even allowed a tear to slip down her cheek, but she didn't move away, giving me permission to keep applying the cream.

I rubbed more and more in, until there was enough to cover the deep gash. I screwed the cap on and threw it back into the bin. I pulled the crate over and sat down. Ally stood there for a few minutes, glancing at me, before she stepped towards me cautiously, and sat down on my lap.

That warm feeling inside me returned, and I felt so amazed. How could this one girl have so much of an effect on me? It's mind blowing!

"So… um… one third of the population in Europe was taken by the Black Death. I think we should defiantly mention that in the paper," she began, scribbling down something on a sheet of paper.

We worked on the paper for a while, and she blew me away. It seemed like everything she said came straight from a poem. She was so enchanting and graceful and… real. She could counter anything I said, leaving me speechless.

"You know…" she said, turning her head to look eyes with me. "The children's song _Ring around the Rosie _was based on the Black Death **(1)**." My mouth dropped open. "That's terrible!" I practically shouted, jumping up. "Who writes a kid's song about a disease that killed hundreds of people?"

Her head swung back and she laughed. "Yep!" she replied, through her laughs. "The line 'We all fall down" actually means we all die!"

I stared at her, wide eyed, and she laughed some more. I got an idea, then took her by the wrist and pulled her against me. I let my legs cripple and I fell to the ground, her landing on top of me. "I guess we both died," I said, shrugging. She giggled, but this time softer, aware of how close we were to each other. We stayed silent for a couple minutes, just taking in each other, before she opened her mouth and whispered, "What do you think death will feel like?"

I blinked. I thought about that for a second. Death happens to everybody eventually. What will it feel like? Will it be painful, or more like weight lifted off your shoulders?

I scanned Ally's face. She looked so serious and so pained, and I knew what she was thinking. She had a feeling that death was right around the corner for her. She thought that any day could be her last.

And I don't know her secret. As much as I want to, I don't. And that means she could die any day, because she doesn't have a way to be protected from whatever's coming at her.

But I know I'll fight to find out her secret. I won't give up until I can protect her.

Because I love Ally Dawson. And she will not die on me.

I opened my mouth and said, "I don't know. We will never know until we experience it ourselves. But I wouldn't worry about it now. You have time."

She looked at me with sincere serious in her eyes, and I felt myself inch closer to her. I wanted to feel the sensation of her lips against mine again. I wanted to feel the sparks and the passion times a thousand, because all I want is her.

I was two inches away from that perfect face when she cleared her throat, and pulled away. She scrambled off me, and I sat up.

I was hurt. I was so heartbroken that I wanted to scream and kick and cry. I wanted to burn and fall. I wanted to run and hide. I just wanted to curl up in a hole and die.

How could I even think about putting myself out there? She would never like me. I'm just Austin Moon. Austin Moon who doesn't deserve Ally freaking Dawson, the most real girl I've ever met. She's probably disgusted that I even tried. I messed up everything.

Stupid Moon. Stupid, stupid Moon.

We both jumped to our feet. I tried my best to hide the hurt in my voice as a murmured, "Ally, I'm really, really sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I just—"

"Austin!" she cut off, biting her lip. I flushed a deep shade of crimson, and she scanned me, and then stepped forward. She pecked my cheek, and said, "I just… can't."

Then she ran away, down the trap door, leaving me dazed and confused.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

The bell rang, and students around me got up, happy that they got to go home. As usual, Mr. Bruner left quickly, avoiding any students in his way.

I glanced at Ally, still in her seat, and she glanced towards me, than looked away, embarrassed.

She had come late with a cut on the side of her neck, but it wasn't too big, and defiantly not as serious as the cut on her head.

I had been trying to interpret what happened earlier on the roof. She wouldn't have kissed my cheek if she didn't feel anything, but I still feel insecure about what happened with the almost kiss. What if she was just being polite with the cheek kiss? No… I'm almost positive she felt something.

And when she said she couldn't. What does that mean?! It's eating me away on the inside. I have to know what she's hiding. I can't just be her friend anymore. I need to be more. I want to know her, want to love her, but she's pushing me away. I don't know why, but I'm going to find out.

All the kids disappear through the doorway until it's just her and me, and I stare at her while she looks at her hands. I want her to look up and tell me everything, but she won't.

"Ally," I say softly, placing a hand on her desk. She forces her head up and stares me in the eyes, with nothing but pain radiating from her. "Tell me what's going on," I ordered, feeling guilt for how harsh it sounded.

She winced, but kept our eyes locked. She took in a deep breath. "No," she said, a bit shaky.

My eyebrow shot up. "What?" I said softly. "No," she said, a bit more sternly.

Rage built up in my veins, and I balled my fists up, and groaned. I hit a wall with one of my fists, and shot it back, pained. "Why not?" I screamed in anguish.

She blinked, and a tear fell down her precious face. "Because I care about you, and I don't know what I would do with myself if you died. I am afraid for just talking to you. I can't afford to tell you anything because they WILL kill you. And then I will be alone once again, without anyone that cares. I won't have anyone. Now please, just… go!" she shouted, more tears shooting from her eyes.

I took a step backward, surprised at her harshness. She blinked and stared down at her hands. I stood there, not knowing what to do.

So, I did what was instinct for me.

I grabbed her hand, kissed it, and turned around, leaving the classroom.

I vowed that tomorrow, after school; I would stay and figure out what she did every day, and then protect her from anything that is causing her pain.

Because the last person on Earth that deserves that is her.

**(A/N: OMG! I AM FANGIRLING! I just saw the trailer for Girlfriends and Girl Friends, and I am FREAKING OUT! Finally! Did you see the way Austin looked at Ally during the fake date? And how Ally was smiling when she told Trish she liked Austin? I am just… dying of happiness. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL JANUARY 27****TH****! It's way too long! Whatever, it will be worth it. Tell me what you think of Auslly getting together on the show in the episode Girlfriends and Girl Friends! Byez!)**


	10. Broken

**(A/N: Hey! I am going to write now. I forgot to mention last chapter that I don't own Ring Around the Rosie. Sorry for any confusion.)**

**Austin's POV**

I don't want it to be awkward.

That's all I want. I don't care if Ally doesn't talk to me. I don't care if she tells me she doesn't like me. I mean, I have never come out right and said I like her, but I think she got the message.

I just don't want it to be weird around us. I liked how we could talk and make physical contact without it being weird. I don't want that to be different. I want Ally to still feel comfortable around me.

She's so close, yet so distant. Why won't she tell me what's going on? All I want is to help her.

I'm speeding down the halls, heading towards the science wing. It's lunchtime on Tuesday, and the project is due tomorrow. I think we were going to work on the project, but I really want answers.

I reach the closet and open the door and step in, being careful to close the door behind me. I pull the string, and the ladder falls down, and I faintly hear a guitar. Knowing what that meant, I climb the ladder swiftly, and when I reached the top, I quietly open the door a crack. Light shone through, illuminating the small space in between the closet and the roof.

I see her sitting on the cold ground, strumming a guitar. All the stuff we need for the project was set on top of a crate, and she was looking into the horizon. The tune is unfamiliar yet again. She sure does have the talent to write songs. She opens her mouth and she starts to sing, slowly, softly, and… perfectly.

_Untouchable like a distant diamond sky  
I'm reaching out and I just can't tell you why  
I'm caught up in you, I'm caught up in you_

Untouchable, burning brighter than the sun  
And when you're close, I feel like coming undone

In the middle of the night when I'm in this dream  
It's like a million little stars spelling out your name  
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together  
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven

It's half full and I won't wait here all day  
I know you're saying that you'd be here anyway  
But you're untouchable, burning brighter than the sun  
Now that you're close, I feel like coming undone

In the middle of the night when I'm in this dream  
It's like a million little stars spelling out your name  
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together  
Come on, come on, oh

In the middle of the night waking from this dream  
I wanna feel you by my side, standing next to me  
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together  
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven

I'm caught up in you  
Oh, oh, oh

But your untouchable, burning brighter than the sun  
Now that you're close, I feel like coming undone

In the middle of the night when I'm in this dream  
It's like a million little stars spelling out your name  
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together  
Come on, come on, oh

In the middle of the night when I'm in this dream  
It's like a million little stars spelling out your name  
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together  
Come on, come on, come on

In the middle of the night waking from this dream  
I wanna feel you by my side, standing next to me  
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together  
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven

And in the middle of the night when I'm in this dream  
It's like a million little stars spelling out your name  
You gotta come on, come on, come on, come on  
Come on, come on, oh, oh, oh

Like a million little stars spelling out your name  
They're spelling out your name, oh

**(1)**

The sound fades away, and all is silent.

Something confuses me. If she wants us to be together, then why is she pushing me away? How is she reaching out at all? I love her so much, and if this is what she wants, than why doesn't she tell me? Then we really could be together.

All these thoughts inside my head cause me to burst through the trap door and confront her. Her eyes go wide and she looks at me like I had just killed a man.

"If you want us to be together, than why didn't you let me kiss you?" I ask sharply. She stays silent and frozen, scared of what towered over her. I didn't like the feeling of scaring her, but I needed answers.

"And why are you saying you're reaching out? You're not reaching out, you're pushing me away!" I shouted, aggravated. She looks at the ground, and I run my hands through my hair. "Why do you secrets from me? I want to know. I want to know!" I plead desperately.

She looks up at me with pain and fear mixed in her eyes. She blinks away tears and swallows. "I didn't let you kiss me because it would make things even more complicated," she whispers, looking at me straight in the eyes. "I want us to be together, but it won't happen. It will never happen. All I want you to do is save me, but guess what? You can't without them getting to you. I am reaching out. I have never reached out to a person before. I have never let someone up here willingly. I have never sat in someone's lap before. I have never told someone I was scared. It's a big deal for me. And finally, I keep secrets because I care. I care about you. I am protecting you like you are protecting me. So please, understand!" she yells the last part, her voice strained and cracked.

I stand there, feeling terrible. What am I thinking? I am pressuring her to tell me about her life, and she is trying really hard to keep me safe. I am an idiot. I can't do this to her!

We look at each other, in complete and utter silence.

Out of the blue, it hits me. An amazing idea.

I sit down, facing her. She doesn't move, just stares at me with shock. I take the guitar from her hands and strum it lightly. She looks at me with confusion and shock, and I look back, but with passion and longing, because all I want is for her to say those three words.

_She's the girl that no one ever knows.  
And I say hi, but she's too shy to say hello.  
She's just waiting for that one to take her hand  
And shake her up.  
I bet I could._

I wish my heart was always on her mind.  
'Cause she's on mine like all day, all the time.  
Forget me not, forget me now.  
I've come too far to turn around.  
I'm here tonight.

'Cause I'm never going down,  
I'm never giving up.  
I'm never gonna leave,  
So put your hands up.  
If you like me,  
Then say you like me.  
I'm never going down,  
I'm never giving up.  
I'm never gonna leave,  
So put your hands up.  
If you like me,  
Then say you like me.

Whoa, oh, oh, oh.  
Whoa, oh, oh, oh.  
Whoa, oh, oh, oh.  
Whoa, oh, oh, oh.

She's the girl that no one ever knows.  
Works a double just to buy her clothes.  
Nicotine and faded dreams,  
Baby, just believe  
There's no one else like me.

'Cause I'm never going down,  
I'm never giving up.  
I'm never gonna leave,  
So put your hands up.  
If you like me,  
Then say you like me.  
I'm never going down,  
I'm never giving up.  
I'm never gonna leave,  
So put your hands up.  
If you like me,  
Then say you like me.

Whoa, oh, oh, oh.  
Whoa, oh, oh, oh.  
Whoa, oh, oh, oh.  
Whoa, oh, oh, oh.

It's time to fall into my arms.  
'Cause I've been waiting for too long.  
You're an angel,  
Grab your halo,  
And lets fly tonight.

'Cause I'm never going down,  
I'm never giving up.  
I'm never gonna leave,  
So put your hands up.  
If you like me,  
Then say you like me.

'Cause I'm never going down,  
I'm never giving up.  
I'm never gonna leave,  
So put your hands up.  
If you like me,  
Then say you like me.  
I'm never going down,  
I'm never giving up.  
I'm never gonna leave,  
So put your hands up.  
If you like me,  
Then say you like me.

Whoa, oh, oh, oh.  
Whoa, oh, oh, oh.  
Whoa, oh, oh, oh.  
Whoa, oh, oh, oh.

Just say you like me.

The song ends and she looks down at her hands. "Austin, I—" she began, before being cut off by me. "No," I say sternly, and she looks up. "I like you, okay? A lot, like, a lot a lot. Like, you know…" I take a breath in, and realize it's harder to say then it looks. She looks at me with sadness in her eyes.

"I just can't stand not being around you. You're so magnificent, and I just feel like I want to protect you. I really, really, want you. I want to know what you're secret is so I can keep you from getting hurt. Please tell me!" I begged, looking at her in the eyes.

She scans my face and takes a shaky breath in. A few tears escape her eyes, and I curse at myself for making her cry. I wipe the tears from her face and she smiles a tiny smile.

"I like you too," she whispers.

It takes me a few minutes to register what she said.

She likes me.

She likes me.

My head is exploding in happiness, and I want to get up and dance. I want to hug her, kiss her, run away with her so we can be together forever.

But then she speaks again.

"And that's why it's going to make this much harder," she sniffled, looking at her hands.

My heart sunk.

"I'm not allowed to have feelings for someone. I know you're confused, and I know you want answers, but I cannot provide you them. I'm sorry. We… we need to be strangers again," her voice cracked, and tears dripped down her cheek.

I'm pretty sure, right then and there, I had my heart broken for the first time ever.

"Wh… why?" I stuttered, not bothering to keep the hurt out of my voice. She shakes her head and closes her eyes, and she looks so broken and scarred. "To keep you safe," she replied softly, the pain increasing. "I want to pretend like we never talked. Like we never met. Like we never cared. We should ignore each other and try to stay away from each other. Like this never happened. I'll finish the project on my own. I will miss you, but… it's for the best," she cries softly, still not meeting my eyes.

That icky feeling in my chest keeps increasing, and I want to cry. But I won't allow myself. This is what she wants, and I want her to be happy. She deserves it.

I get up slowly, and she stands up as well. She looks me in the eyes and murmurs, "Thank you." I nod slowly, and my heart aches, but I turn and walk towards the trap door. Right before I leave, I heard a soft call behind me, and I turn around.

Ally looked more broken than I had ever seen her before. She looked sad and deserted, and all I wanted was to be there for her. But she doesn't want that.

She looks into my eyes and runs towards me, and wraps me into a hug. I hug back, loving her warmth.

We stand there for a long time, immersed in each other, when she looks up at me with tear stained eyes.

"My knight in shining armor was supposed to provide me with a temporary escape from the world, and you have done that for me. Thank you. I hate this as much as you do. But, I have one secret I can tell you. I have never had my first kiss, and I don't know if I ever will if it doesn't happen now, so… could you… um…" she trails off.

I don't disobey her.

Without hesitation, I cupped her chin in my hand and pulled her into me, connecting our lips together. It's soft and slow, and our lips move in perfect harmony. Sparks flew all around us, and suddenly, the school roof was the most romantic place in the world.

It was more than an attempt to share a first kiss. There was so much feeling and emotion bottled up in it. All the sexual tension that formed since we bumped each other in the hall was shown in this one kiss. I felt love towards this girl. It was not just a first kiss.

My tongue slipped into her mouth. I felt her shiver, but she allowed entrance. Our tongues battled for dominance, and I have never felt more passion in a kiss before.

And just for a moment, all of our problems and worries evaporated, leaving just us. We didn't worry about anything else, just ourselves.

And it was perfect.

She broke it first, resting her forehead against mine, breathing heavily. For a second, I thought we would overcome problems to be together, but then she backs up, tears running down her face.

"Bye, Austin Moon," she whispers, her voice cracking. I took in a shaky breath and backed up, not turning around. "Bye, Ally Dawson," I whispered back, before whipping around and disappearing through the trap door.

I rapidly slid down the ladder, and jumped to the ground. I pulled the string and it closed up. I ran out the door, slamming it behind me. I ran down halls, not caring where I was going. I kept running until I reached the guy's bathroom. I opened the door and locked it behind me.

I rushed over to the sink and leaned over it. I cried and cried, letting tears drip down into the sink. I didn't care if anyone heard.

She slipped away. The one person I was so afraid of losing, has left me. I am alone, truly alone.

I am no one without her. She completes me. But she's gone now. She might be alive and breathing, but she's gone.

Ally Dawson has left my life.

I look up at my reflection in the mirror. I'm a train wreck. I am so broken, it isn't funny. I feel so empty. How could I let her slip away?

I stare at the dead brown eyes looking back at me. They are surrounded by red, and they look dull. She sucked the life from me. The person staring back at me in the mirror is nothing.

Determination flashes through those very eyes. I stand straight and the red fades away.

I can't let her go. I am NOTHING without her, so what do I have to lose?

This knight in shining armor hasn't saved his princess yet, and he won't stop until he does.

**(A/N: Completed. Only two more chapters until the secret is revealed. A lot of clues will be shown in the next chapter, so be prepared. I 3 you guys! R and R!**

**1) Untouchable by Taylor Swift. One of my favorite songs. I hope it fit with the situation well.**

**2) Say You Like Me by We the Kings. I like this song XD.)**


	11. Alone

**(A/N: Hey guys. I'm sick. I have the flu, temperature 103 degrees. Yay. The best part is that I went to school today because my mother thought I was fine. We don't own a thermometer. I know, pathetic, right? But, I sat through school for SIX HOURS, with a temperature of 103! I felt like CRAP. But I am staying home tomorrow, so you might just get two chapters. I am not promising ANYTHING, but maybe.)**

**Ally's POV**

I'm broken. Shattered into a million pieces. No heartbreak compares to what I'm feeling.

I had no choice. NOTHING would have worked out between us. My life doesn't allow relationships. My life is work, words, pain. That's how it is, and how it always will be. Because I don't have an escape.

If Austin ever found out my secret, then they would know. They have cameras everywhere, and they would eliminate him if they found out. And just say Austin did find out, and they didn't figure it out. What happens then? Austin sends him to jail? He's already escaped jail, twice! He will just escape again, and then I am doomed to him forever.

There is no getting out of my life. It's almost impossible.

I had to leave Austin. He doesn't understand that if he stayed, he would die. I don't know what I would do if I was the cause of his death.

I shouldn't have asked him to kiss me. I really shouldn't have.

Because it was absolutely perfect.

I didn't want it to end. It was so gentle and soft. I was about to fall over because of my weak knees, and there were fireworks everywhere. I felt so immersed in him, and I wanted to take everything back. I wanted to stay with him forever. Literally all my fears disappeared.

But you know, humans need air. So I broke the kiss, and everything came flooding back to me. That kind of kiss cannot happen for me. I can't experience things like that. That kiss was a one-time thing.

I just wanted to know what I was missing. But sometimes it's better to not know, because then you won't miss it.

I feel a million times closer to Austin, yet I can't even talk to him anymore.

I never should have spoken a word to him. Then I wouldn't be in this situation. I never would have fallen in love, and have to say goodbye.

It's not like he feels the same way. He would never love a girl like me. A girl like me doesn't get love. She gets pain, work, and words. And don't forget heartbreak.

Austin might like me a lot, but I'm probably just a fling. He probably is just looking for a temporary relationship. He doesn't love me, it's impossible.

One of my biggest prayers is that someday, I will find someone who loves me.

It's just another one of those stupid hopes that I possess.

Hope is overrated. It gives people an absurd feeling that something will happen, when it is basically impossible.

Yet, I can't stop that stupid feeling in the bottom of my stomach that everything will get better. It won't, it never has.

I just want to be like everyone else. Why do I have to do the things I do when everyone else gets a free life? I don't even know the next time I eat!

Everyone gets happiness. I don't. The only times I actually smile is when I'm with Austin, and I can't see Austin anymore.

It's just not fair.

And I guess life was never supposed to be fair. But, are there supposed to be people like me, where you literally don't have a future, yet you suffer through physical and mental pain every day?

I don't think so.

**Austin's POV**

I am minutes away from figuring out why Ally stays after school every day.

My plan is to stay after school, and watch what Ally does. She won't know I'm there, and neither will anyone else. I'll be like a ninja.

She arrived late to history again, this time limping. I really want to know what's going on. I can help her, I KNOW I can.

The bell rings and people get up to leave. Mr. Bruner speeds out, saying a quick goodbye to his students. I look at Ally, who's looking at me. We both quickly snap our heads away from each other, a blush appearing on our faces. She told me we are supposed to be strangers. I don't think she can follow that order.

I pick up my stuff and exit the classroom as other students are pouring out. I run to my locker, which was pretty close, and turn the lock. It springs open and I get my bag. I dump everything in it and slide on my leather jacket. I swing the bag over my shoulder and watch as students make their way to the school's exit.

Once the hallways are basically cleared, I creep back down the hallway, heading towards Mr. Bruner's classroom. I stop outside the closed door and peer inside the tiny window.

Ally is sitting in her desk, staring at her hands. She picks at her fingernails, and sighs. I can see the despair in her eyes, and she looks so pained.

I hear footsteps behind me, and I look around for a place to hide. The boy's bathroom was right next to the classroom, so I dove inside it. I peered around the corner and saw a girl open the classroom door and walk inside, leaving the door open. I only saw the back of her, so I didn't know who she was.

I slid my back against the wall and listen. All I hear is silence, until I hear the unknown girl's voice.

"Look at me in the eyes!" It ordered harshly, and I could hear a slap through the walls. I heard a whimper, and it took great control not to dive out from my hiding spot and stop the cruel girl.

"Now," the girl said, with an evil tone. "I believe we have some business to sort out, considering you only swept twelve of the school halls, instead of all thirteen."

"Please, I'm sorry—"Ally whimpered, but the girl cut her off. "Sorry doesn't cut it!" the girl screamed furiously. "You don't want me to tell my Daddy about this, do you? Because I don't think he would be very happy!" the girl snarled, and I tried not to panic. Who is this girl, and what is she doing to Ally?

"No, no, no!" Ally protested, whimpering a little. "Good," the girl retorted, obviously very intimidating. "Now, give me your wrist."

"Why?" Ally asked fearfully. "I said, GIVE ME YOUR WRIST!" the girl screamed. There was a few seconds of silence, and then I heard a cry of pain. Ally whimpered and yelped, and the girl snorted and murmured, "Baby."

My hands balled into fists, and I wanted to lunge. But I can't do it. Ally can't know I'm here.

"Now, here's your list," the girl said sharply. "Don't mess up this time."

The girl stormed out of the room, and I saw her strut down the hall. I still had no idea who she was, but her voice sounded strangely familiar.

I waited a total of ten minutes before I heard footsteps. Ally slowly limped out of the classroom, with a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hands. I could barely see her from the opening, but what I did see, scared me.

There were tears streaming down her face, and a huge red spot on her cheek. On her forehead, was a large, clean cut. Blood dripped down her face. She also had another large, vertical cut across her wrist. She was limping, and every step she took made her whimper even more. She held the paper close to her face, and she read something off it. Then she quickly limped down the hall, heading towards the cafeteria.

She turned the corner, and I quietly crept behind her. She didn't turn her head, just kept walking. She entered the cafeteria, and crossed to the other side. She pulled a key out of her pocket, and entered the kitchen area. She flicked the light on and checked the paper again.

She looked at her cut, and winced. She grabbed a towel and tied it around her wrist. She wrapped another towel over her head to stopped the bleeding from dripping around. She then tied her hair back and put rubber gloves on her hands.

Ally started rummaging through pots and pans, preheated ovens, and rolled out dough. She smeared tomato sauce all over the dough, and sprinkled cheese over it. She then popped the tray into the oven, and started rolling the dough again. I watched in awe.

Is Ally… making the cafeteria food?

For two whole hours, I watched as Ally made pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, soup, salads, hot dogs, and tons of other food. She spent so long making sure all the food was perfect. As she worked, I watched her pop small amounts of food into her mouth, making sure to be secretive about it.

No wonder the food is always so good. Ally makes it.

Once she had a whole table full of food, she peeled off her gloves and untied her hair. She slowly unwrapped the towel from her wrist, and winced. It did look bad. Puss was oozing from it, and it looked sticky and gross. She threw the towel into the waste bin, and took the towel off her head. The cut on her head was still bleeding a little bit. She touched it softly, and a tear escapes her eye.

All I want to do is run up to her and make the pain go away. But I can't. I have to stay hiden.

She throws the towel on the ground and buries her head in her hands. I can hear soft sobs, and she is pacing back and forth. Suddenly, she threw her hands to her sides and wails, "I let him down!"

I freeze.

I let him down. What is that supposed to mean? She couldn't have been talking about me; she never let me down. It has to be someone else.

She shakes her head and cries some more, and all I want to do is help her. She looks so vulnerable. Who has the heart to do this stuff to her?

Out of the blue, she picked up the piece of paper from the table and checked it. She then trudged out, and I hid between the door and the wall. Her wedges clicked, and I realized they were the same ones she wore on our kind-of sort-of first date. She kept her head down, and you could feel the tragic in the air.

It all hit me then and there.

Now I always thought Ally had a rough time. I thought maybe her parents were having problems, and people were beating her up because of the rumors. Maybe she cut herself; I didn't have the slightest clue.

But really, she is scarred.

She is such a broken and beaten human being. She has no happiness what-so-ever, and she is trying so hard to hide it from the world.

But when she is alone, she breaks down. She can't handle the pressure and the things going on around her. She has Trent, the people around her, the mean girl from the classroom, and whoever 'them' is to worry about. The weight of the world is on her shoulders, and she is slowly breaking, more and more each day.

At that point in time, I realize how much I really don't know Ally Dawson. All I know is that she has a wonderful personality that the world can't see because of people slowly breaking her down.

No one tries to help her. No one seems to realize that she could lose it any minute and do something terrible to herself. I know about being lonely. I am always sad about my parents never being around.

But Ally Dawson is not lonely. No, she is completely alone.

She has no one to turn to. No one to love. No one to tell her everyday how wonderful she is.

She pushed me away because of people who are constantly trying to break her down. She wanted to tell me, but somehow, in some way, she can't, because if she does, then she will be punished. Like she is punished every day of her life.

And as I watch that broken human being walk down the deserted hallway, I start to realize how lucky I have it.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

For the next three hours, I follow her around, not being noticed. She sweeps floors, cleans bathrooms, organizes papers, dusts classrooms, and lots of other chores for the school. It's so terrible.

But the worst was coming.

When I saw her dump the list in the garbage after she finished wiping down the tables in Ms. Norris's classroom, I thought she would leave. I thought she would walk out those front doors. I thought she would escape the walls of the god forsaken school.

I was wrong.

The time read exactly 8:00 pm when she turned, and headed towards the science wing. She turned the corner and opened the storage closet, and disappeared into it.

I stood there, frozen.

Why was she up there? Why isn't she going home?

I quietly opened the door, and the ladder was already on the ground. I climbed up it, and opened the last trap door a crack.

Ally was leaning up against the wall, her head rested against her pillow. She rubbed cream against her wrist, only cringing a little bit. She looked up at the sky, which was full of tiny stars. A tear drops down her cheek, and she gets up. She throws the cream back into the bin, and searches through it. She finally pulled out something.

A pen. A normal, black pen.

She crosses over back to wear she was, and sat down once again. She picks her book up from next to her and opens it. She turns to a page, and begins writing quickly, tears dropping down her face.

So many tears.

I want to make them stop falling.

She stops writing, and slams the book. She throws it on the ground and sinks onto her back, shaking violently. She laid there for a while, and I became worried.

Suddenly, her head shot up, and she sits up. Her eyes wander to the other side of her, and they land on her acoustic guitar.

With trembling hands, she picked the guitar up, and stood. She slung the strap around her shoulder, and her eyes looked up at the sky. She began strumming, and she started to sing, with passion and hurt in her voice.

_You, with your words like knives  
And swords and weapons that you use against me  
You have knocked me off my feet again  
Got me feeling like I'm nothing  
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard  
Calling me out when I'm wounded  
You picking on the weaker man_

You can take me down with just one single blow  
_But you don't know, what you don't know..._

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Why you gotta be so mean?

You, with your switching sides  
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation  
You have pointed out my flaws again  
As if I don't already see them  
I walk with my head down  
Trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you  
I just wanna feel okay again

I bet you got pushed around  
Somebody made you cold  
But the cycle ends right now  
'Cause you can't lead me down that road  
And you don't know, what you don't know...

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Why you gotta be so mean?

And I can see you years from now in a bar  
Talking over a football game  
With that same big loud opinion  
But nobody's listening  
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things  
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing  
But all you are is mean

All you are is mean  
And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life  
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean

But someday I'll be living in a big ol' city  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah  
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Why you gotta be so?..

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city (Why you gotta be so?..)  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean (Why you gotta be so?..)  
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me (Why you gotta be so?..)  
And all you're ever gonna be is mean  
Why you gotta be so mean?

**(1)**

She had sung with tears streaming down her face.

All I'm thinking is, who is doing this to her?

I try and think of what she was doing here. She finished doing chores or whatever, so why doesn't she go home?

Then a thought occurs to me.

What if this was her home?

What if she lives on the roof?

It all makes sense! She doesn't leave after school, and when we were doing the project together, she didn't invite me to her house, she just told me to meet her at school!

The shock of my realization causes my foot to slip, and I fall all the way to the ground, creating a big crash. I freeze, not being able to move.

For a couple seconds, nothing happens.

But then, the last trap door opens slowly, and Ally looks down at me with horror on her face.

We stare at each other for a few minutes, and then she closes her eyes and shakes her head.

Then she slams the door shut.

And all I can do is leave the school.

**Ally's POV**

He's seen everything.

He's seen everything.

I have to protect him.

He knows too much.

They will get to him.

I need to tell him.

I don't know if I can tell him.

He's going to have questions.

I'll have to answer them.

I don't know if I can.

I don't know if I can.

Story of my life.

**(A/N: I am SO tired. Sorry if this was bad, I just am tired and I need sleep. Review! Next chapter is the reveal of the secret. I look forward to hearing what you guys think it is, because it's you last chance to guess. Bye!**

**1) Mean by Taylor Swift)**


	12. Confession

**(A/N: Skipping the author's note so we can get to the good stuff.)**

**Austin's POV**

I know she probably doesn't want to talk to me. I know she would rather me not confront her. She probably just wishes I would forget what I saw.

But the truth is, yesterday afternoon will haunt me until the day I fix it.

I can't stand to see her so… broken. I don't want to see such an amazing person hurt. It breaks my heart.

I just need to get to the bottom of it.

For once, instead of running down the hallway to the science wing, I am walking, slowly and unsurely. I don't know if this is a good idea. She told me we had to be strangers less than 24 hours ago. I don't know if she will even look at me.

But I have to try.

I reach the storage closet and slowly reach out my hand towards the handle. I grasp it lightly and pull down. I push the door open and it makes a light creek sound. I step inside, and quietly close the door behind me. I pull the string and the trap door swings open. The ladder fell to the ground, and I took a deep breath.

This is it.

I grab a rung and begin to climb towards the top. When I reach the second door, I stop and listen, trying to hear anything happening up there.

Silence.

I always thought silence was the scariest sound. Like, when I'm alone at home, when my parents are away, it is so silent, it makes me feel so alone. Or when my parents are home, but it's like, three in the morning, and I'm still up. I feel like something's going to jump out at me, because it is just TOO quiet.

But I have never been so afraid of silence until now.

There is no sound what so ever. She's always up there. Why isn't she there? Did someone do something to her? Did she get hurt?

Is she… no.

She couldn't be.

She's not.

She can't be dead.

Fear flows through my veins. I punch the door, and it swings upon, creating a bang on the concrete floor of the roof. I scramble up and desperately yell out her name. I run around the roof, but there was no sign of the girl I love.

I run to the bin area and search around the crates, and I start to break down.

No.

NO.

NO!

I give up and collapse on the ground. I lie on my side and breathe heavily.

This is NOT happening.

I'm having a nightmare. I HAVE to be dreaming.

This is impossible.

I keep repeating the fact that she's dead over and over in my head, and keep telling myself that it was impossible. Yet, in the back of my mind, I know it's not. Just last Friday, she almost died. But I was there to save her.

I wasn't this time.

I let her die. I wasn't there for her. She is dead, and I didn't save her.

This is all my fault.

I bury my head in my hands and try to breathe. I try to tell myself it wasn't my fault, but it was.

I was supposed to be her knight in shining armor.

I failed.

I sit up, not allowing myself to cry. Crying is a sign of weakness, and Ally wouldn't want me to be weak. I have to tough through it.

I lean against the wall and stare at her bin. Probably everything she owned is in there. Before I knew it, I pulled the bin towards me and reached into it.

The stuffed dolphin. She would never hold it again.

The necklace. She would never wear it again.

The watch. She would never check it again.

The sneakers. She would never run again.

The pillow. She would never sleep again.

I pull the textbooks out, and scan them. Math, science, history.

History. Ninth period.

I blink back my tears. No showing weakness.

There was a yearbook too. I look at the date. 2010. Sophomore year.

I open the books and flip through the pages. There were pictures of the school dances and assemblies we had. I saw some pictures of Dez, Dallas, and Trish. I saw some pictures of Trent and Roger. Most of them were of Cassidy and her friends, but her father was the principal, so I'm not surprised.

Then I came across the part where all the student's pictures were listed. I skip over my friends, and come across her's. She looked breath taking. She had no makeup on, as usual, but her hair fell on her shoulders just perfectly. She didn't smile, but her eyes shone.

I ran my finger over her name, which was typed under her picture. Ally Dawson. Such a flawless name.

I looked closer and saw a deep cut on her cheek. Tears threatened to pour down, but I refused. I won't show weakness.

But something caught my eye. Right next to her picture, there was something written in neat, loopy handwriting. It was written in black. The same color pen she had yesterday.

_Me? I don't know anymore._

I can't show weakness.

To stop myself from breaking down, I turned the page. But that didn't help much.

My picture was on that page.

I remember that day. I had found out that Trent had cheated on Trish, and I had been so mad. I had confronted him right before pictures, and told him off. We had gone off at each other, and teachers had to hold us back from lunging at each other. Mrs. Caterwaul had dragged me to the place the photos were being taken, and I was so angry, I couldn't smile. My hair was sticking up, and my face was red. I looked so terrible.

But in black handwriting, next to my picture, was something that made a tear escape my eye.

_I wish I could tell him everything._

I slammed the book shut, and threw it on the ground.

Screw life. All it gives you is heartbreak.

I turned back to the bin, and took out the last thing in it.

Ally's book.

I stared at it for a few seconds, and then carefully opened it, looking at the page in front. There were mostly drawings, with a little bit of writing here and there. As I flipped through the pages, I read each entry, none of which giving him more information then I already had.

I turned to the last page, and saw a piece of paper folded up neatly. I took it in my hand, and set the book down next to me. I carefully unfolded the paper. It was totally covered in tiny, black handwriting, completely covering the page. Even the margins were covered. The first thing that caught my eye was the date.

_September 12__th__, 2012_

My eyes widened and my heartbeat quickened.

September 12th, 2012 was yesterday.

I hardened my grasp on the paper. I take a deep breath, and start to read, almost afraid of what was on the paper.

_Hey Austin._

Those two words made my stomach flip.

I read on.

_I knew you would come for answers. You saw what you saw, and I know you are confused. _

_Honestly, I could never tell you. Not because of them, but because it hurts too much. I couldn't bear facing you to tell you. It scared me too much._

_Sorry if the fact I wasn't there scared you. I promise I am not dead. In fact, I just ate last night for the first time in a while, so I am healthier than usual. Don't worry._

I think my world started spinning again.

She's alive.

She's breathing.

She's not gone.

Where is she?

I begin to read again.

_So, I guess I should start from the beginning…_

_My father's name was Lester Dawson. He was the happiest man I have ever met. He always had a smile on his face, and was always so positive. I couldn't have asked for a better father. We had this special father-daughter connection. It was better than the connection I had with my mother, and that was strong too._

_He worked for the FBI, and he was one of the most important people in it. What he would do is whenever something looked suspicious to the government; he would go undercover and investigate. He had the power to arrest anyone he wanted on the spot, and he had talked to the president several times. _

_When I was four, my mom gave birth to my sister. She was predicted to have many heart problems, and there was a possibility of her having down syndrome. But she was born perfectly healthy, at the perfect time. Though, that doesn't mean everything was okay._

_Something went wrong._

_My mother died._

_I was so sad, but that didn't compare to my dad. He was heartbroken. He had held her hand when she took her very last breath. He cried so hard. He was so sad, that he didn't notice that the nurse was trying to ask him what my sister's name should be._

_I had tapped his shoulder, and he turned to me with tear-stained eyes, and I had asked him, "Can I name my sister, Daddy?" _

_He had smiled a tiny smile, and nodded a weak, "yes" before turning back to my dead mother._

_I knew right away what name I wanted to name my sister. I always had wanted the name, but I was stuck with boring old Allison._

_I wanted to name her Bella. It meant beautiful, and as a four year old girl, all you wanted was to be as pretty as a princess. _

I smiled at the last part.

Ally is as pretty as a princess.

_A year later, when I was five, my dad got assigned a mission. There was a factory in Minnesota that was said to be producing car engines, but the government thought they were building nuclear weapons to sell to an enemy country for a bunch of money. The rumors ended up being true, and my father caught them in the act._

_He arrested the head of the production, John Walker, and all the people participating in the act._

_Now, Walker had a daughter, and her name was Lucy. The relationship between the two matched the connection with me and my father's. So when Walker was sent to jail for life, that meant he would never see his daughter again. And because Lucy's mother wasn't around, she would have to go to a foster home._

_As they dragged Walker away, he went berserk; screaming at my dad, and telling him that he will get revenge on him and his family._

_Then, just like that, he was taken to jail._

_Over the years, I had grown up, becoming a motherly figure for my little sister Bella. We had moved to a small town in Ohio, because my father didn't enjoy big cities. I was more mature than the other kids in my class. It could've been because of my dad's job, or because I was the oldest female in the family. _

_On a cold evening in March, our family was sitting in the family room, with a fire illuminating the room. I remember it perfectly; my father was sitting on his recliner, reading the paper, and Bella and I were sitting on the floor, playing dolls. I was ten, and she was six. _

_My nightmare began when I heard gunshots and screams coming from out the window. My father had dropped the paper, his face full of fear and confusion. He put a finger to his lips, signaling us to be quiet. He took our hands and tip toed over to the window. He shifted the drapes so we could see outside._

_Walker and his daughter stood there, hand in hand, with about twenty other men. Walker and the other men had guns, and they were shouting at the neighbors, demanding to know where my father was. None of them said anything, so they shot them. There was fire everywhere. _

_My dad stared in horror, and then looked down at me and my sister. He told us to stay there, and then he left. _

_I watched from the window as he tried to speak to Walker._

_I watched as Walker screamed at him, telling him about what my father had done to him. _

_I watched as he lifted the gun, and pulled the trigger._

_I watched as Walker shot my father._

In. Out.

That guy shot her father?

Ally's an orphan?

What. The. Hell.

I continued.

_Pain washed over my body. I watched as he fell to the ground, and I felt like my world had crumbled underneath me._

_I couldn't control myself. I ran outside, tears streaming down my face. I dove to my father's side, and shook him, trying to wake him up. Bella cried beside me, not knowing who the cruel men were, but knowing that our father was dying._

_My father's eyes opened for a second, and he whispered, "Run."_

_I looked behind me and saw men approaching us. Despite the fact I wanted to stay with my dad, I grabbed my sister's hand, and ran._

_Into the forest, as fast as I could go. I was tired, but that didn't matter, because I could hear the footsteps behind us. _

_We kept running until we came across a small abandoned shack. I pulled Bella inside, and locked the door behind us. We crawled into the corner and she cried, and cried. I held her in my lap, and she kept telling me to never let her go. I told her I wouldn't, but that didn't stop her tears. So, I sang her a lullaby that I wrote on the spot. I wrote it just for her, right there, in that abandoned shack. _

_Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
And you and I will be safe and sound_

_Yeah, it's the same song that I sang to you on the night of the fireflies. Except, only the chorus. I wrote the rest later, which included the guitar chords. _

_She had stopped crying, and for a second, everything was fine._

_But then they came. _

_They pounded on the door, demanding to be let in. For a total of three minutes, Bella and I sat in silence, trembling. We could see the shadows of the men from outside the window, and we were scared._

_I hoped that maybe they would go away. Maybe they would give up._

_But eventually, I came to the realization that they weren't leaving until they got what they want._

_And as I sat on the cold, hard ground, with Bella in my lap, I thought about something._

_One of us could be saved. One of us could make it. One of us could live on._

_I turned to her and gave her a big hug, inhaling her innocent scent. I told her to not leave the shack until she was sure they were gone, and then go for help. I told her that I would never let her go, and if I lived, I would search for her. Her eyes widened as she realized what I was doing. She begged for me to stay, and to not leave her alone. _

_But, I got up, and I walked through those doors._

Oh. My. God.

She sacrificed her life to save her sister's.

She truly is an angel sent down from heaven.

_I remember many things. I remember guns being pointed my way. I remember an order from Walker to lower the weapons. I remember the evil smile on his face as he grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the shack forcefully, all the men following behind us. _

_I remember looking back into the shack's window, and seeing Bella looking at me. _

_They took me to Miami, where Walker and his daughter changed their names. John Walker became Tim Hertz, and Lucy Walker became Cassidy Hertz._

My eyes widened.

The girl in the room. I knew her voice sounded familiar.

Cassidy freaking Hertz.

I'm going to fucking kill her and her father.

_Tim became the principal of a high school, and used it to his advantage. He told me I was too much of a disgrace to be in his presence, and that I shouldn't be allowed to step foot in his house. So, he put me in the school. _

_He didn't bother hiring a janitor, or lunch ladies. I mean, why would he? He had me. _

_I didn't complete elementary school, and skipped over middle school. But when Cassidy started freshman year, he said I should attend school too. Why would he want a stupid slave? He wanted an educated slave._

_I only ate when I could smuggle food. He had security cameras everywhere, but sometimes, I could eat something by making it look like I was working. Water wasn't a problem; there were drinking fountains everywhere for anyone. _

_It was already so complicated, but sophomore year made everything worse. I met Trent for the first time, and he thought I was pretty, despite my scars. He wanted to go out with me. I wouldn't if I could; he was cruel and demeaning. _

_He blackmailed me, telling me if I didn't agree, he would make my life miserable. My life was already so terrible; I couldn't let it get worse. So, I agreed to go out with him. _

_It was horrible. All he wanted was to get in my pants. I didn't let him, of course. I didn't let him kiss me, either. I refused to let my first kiss be with that pervert. _

_Whenever he asked me to go somewhere, I declined, and he would get upset. He would hit me, but I would never give in. I didn't have the choice. Hertz wouldn't let me leave the school. _

_When he started cheating on me with a girl named Trish (your friend, I think.), it was the last straw. I dumped him. _

_I was invisible before I dumped Trent. No one knew who I was, or had the interest to get to know me. I liked it that way. That way, I didn't have to worry about anything but Hertz, Cassidy, and my work. _

_But Trent spread terrible rumors that lead people to believe I was a sex addict. Everyone made fun of me, beat me up, and I was miserable. So miserable, I skipped junior year without the principal realizing it._

_Every day, right before 9__th__ period, I get beat up by Trent's lackies, and left in the janitor's closet. That's why I'm always late to class with some sort of injury. The day you found me in the janitor's closet, I was beat up more than usual because Trent knew that you found out that he blackmailed me into dating him. _

_Every day, after 9__th__ period, I stay and wait for Cassidy to give me the list of things to do. She hurts me if I did something wrong, and then leaves me to do the chores. After I finish, I go to the roof to sleep. It is the worst in the winter. _

_I was missing, and they were wanted. They have kept me and themselves hidden for seven years._

_And you know what, my life is horrible. I have no freedom, and no way to be happy. I was completely alone._

_Then you came along and changed that. _

_You were the first one that ever cared. That ever bothered to get to know me. But you know what? If I had let you stay in my life, and you found out my big, horrible secret, then they would shoot you. They shot my father, why not you?_

_Though, there is one thing I want to tell you._

_The first time I had smiled in three years was the day you stood up for me, and took my book back from Trent. I hadn't laughed since the day they took me, but you made me laugh so much. You were the only sliver of happiness I had, but they destroy anything that makes me happy._

_Relationships can't work with me. _

_I had to tell you goodbye. I had no choice. I have tried to run away, but they always catch me, and beat me. _

_You can't tell anyone. You can't call the police. He will just escape jail again, and then I will be in so much trouble. I can't die without seeing Bella one more time. Just keep this a secret, please._

_Now, I assume you have questions. _

_If you want me to answer them, find me._

I dropped the paper and rushed out the trap door.

Because boy, do I have questions.

**(A/N: Sorry I updated super late, but that took a LONG TIME to write. I hope you liked the secret, but this story isn't over. Ally still needs to be rescued! Love you guys! Bye!)**


	13. Scarred

**(A/N: Hey. I have another excuse for updating late. My sister caught my flu, and I have been taking care of her, because no one else wants to get sick. I haven't had time. Sorry. Maybe I should do the only thing I'm good for; type.)**

**Austin's POV**

Everything was a blur.

I was running fast down the halls, opening every door there was, looking for Ally Dawson. I would go into to teacher's classrooms and ignore their stares. All that mattered is that I find her. I need to find her.

Kids would give me weird looks, but I didn't give a damn. None of them were Ally Dawson, so who cares what they think?

I kept running and opening doors, when I suddenly stopped in realization.

Think of the places I have ever seen Ally.

Okay, up in the roof, but I already know she's not there.

In Mr. Bruner's room, but everyone knows he locks his door during lunchtime so he can have his 'Mr. Bruner time'. So it couldn't be there.

I saw her in the same hallway twice. The first time was the day she ran into me, and I saw her for the first time. The second time was when Trent stole her book, and she was trying to get it back. But I already stormed through that hallway, so that couldn't be it.

I can't think of anywhere else.

I dropped my head down and trudged down the hallway. I didn't look up. I was too disappointed in myself. I should know her better. She didn't tell me where she was because she wanted me to figure it out myself, and I failed to do that.

A body slams into mine, and I look up.

The person standing before me is fucking Trent Holt.

He gives me a scowl, and before he could do anything, I wrap my hand around his neck and slam him against the lockers. "Dude!" he screams, but I don't care. He made her life even worse than it already is. She has enough problems to deal with, and then she has this bastard and his rumors to take care of.

He tries to break from my grasp, but I only grip on tighter. Anger flows through my veins.

I hate this guy so much.

I slap him with as much force as I could bear, and he shrieks. His cheek reddens, but that was not as much pain as he put Ally through. He deserved triple her pain, so I socked him in the nose. Blood escaped his nostrils, but not as much as I wanted to.

"What the fuck is your problem!" he screams, struggling against my grasp. This just angered me more, so I hit him again, right in the jaw. I heard a crack, and let me say, that was the best sound I have heard all day.

"What do you think is my problem?" I scream, and for once, Trent doesn't say anything. He doesn't open that big fat mouth of his and retaliate. He shuts up, and I swear I see him shrink, shocked at my intensity.

But he shouldn't be. Ally is the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me, but she is breaking. She is breaking every single day, and I am her knight in shining armor, so anything that contributes to that pain is my responsibility.

So I will crush Trent until he takes back every single word he has ever said about her. I will not stop pounding him until he gets every ounce of pain Ally has ever endured.

He is the one that deserved the horrors of her life. Nothing he has ever done benefited anyone but him.

"What do you think she is? A toy with no feelings? She is not an object that can be thrown around without getting hurt? How dare you try to fucking toy with her? And you don't even have the balls to do it! You get your stupid minions to beat her and leave her in the closet! You have messed up far too many times! Not only are you a sick, twisted human being; you are also a coward! I just can't bear the sight of you!" I scream, and whack him in the head again.

He blinks, petrified. His blank expression suddenly twists into a wicked frown, and he grabs my hand and pushes it off of him. He backs off, staring at me, with hatred in his eyes. "I never messed up," he states, looking like the scariest person in the world. "She did."

He spins around and walks away, ignoring the blood trickling down from his nose. I start to run after him, but then stop.

The closet.

That's it.

I spin on my heels and run down the hall, towards the janitor's closet. I keep running and running, not stopping when I pass by Trish and she screams my name.

She's there.

She's in the closet.

She has to be.

I turn around the corner and come to a halt, standing right in front of the big, brown floor. I rapidly grab the handle, and swing it open. The door slams against the wall, but I don't care.

There, on the floor, sits Ally Dawson, leaned up against the back wall.

She looks up at me, her eyes puffy and red. She looked abandoned. Her shoulders were slumped, her eyes dull. Her face was a bit wet, indicating that she had been crying. She kind of resembled one of those girls who didn't get their dance with the guy she had a crush on, so she crawled into the corner and cried.

All the questions that I had for her faded, and the only thing I wanted to do was take away the things haunting her. She just doesn't deserve it.

I stood there, frozen. Her breathing quickened and she buried her face in her hands. I snapped back to reality, and dove next to her, and the door slammed behind me, leaving us enclosed in the small closet. I put my arm around her, and she leaned into my chest, sobbing quietly.

"It's okay. It's gonna be alright," I whispered, rubbing her back. I knew it wasn't the truth, but I didn't know what to say. She pushed closer into me, and I lifted her onto my lap, and she still cried. I stroked her hair, hoping she would stop crying. I don't like it when she cries. It makes me feel sad.

After a while, she calmed down a little, only letting tears run down her face. She didn't make a sound, just let the tears fall.

"Ally?" I said quietly. She rose her head, locking her chocolaty brown eyes with mine. My breathing started to speed up, aware of the truth of this question. "When was the last time you left this school?"

Her breath hitched, and she scanned my face. "Seven years ago," she murmured, tearing her gaze away from mine.

Seven years in this hellhole with no escape.

I blinked, and reached a hand out, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She turned her head back to meet my eyes, and I saw the little twinkle in her eyes again.

We sat in silence for a little while; me stroking her hair, her breathing softly into my chest. Suddenly, a thought occurs in my head. "Ally, what are we?" I said, hesitantly. She looks at me, biting her lip. She looked deep in thought, but I was too.

Ally and I aren't just friends, because just friends don't have their first kiss together. She isn't my girlfriend, that's not possible (I hate the principal). But we aren't something less! What are we?

"You know what?" Ally whispered, captivating me with her eyes. "We're Austin and Ally."

That blew my mind.

She's so wise. We aren't anything, we are ourselves. Nothing more, nothing less. We don't have labels. We are just Austin and Ally.

How is she that smart? How is she that perfect? She is so scarred and broken and run down, yet she has all the qualities of perfection. How does she do it?

"How do you do it?" I asked quietly. She cocked her head, confused at the question. "How do you get through the pain, torture, work, and words that you endure every day? How do you wake up in the morning and manage to get up? How can you even smile? How do you do it?" I questioned, leaning in a little closer to her.

A look of pain flashed across her face, and she looked down at the ground, and leaned her head into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, and she shakily breathed into me. A moment passes, and she whispers, "Because I have hope that one day, there will be someone who loves me."

The words were out of my mouth before I could even think.

"There is someone who loves you. He's sitting right in front of you."

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She blinked a couple times and took a huge breath in.

I put my head in my hands and sighed. I just made things much more complicated.

Damn you Moon.

I looked back at Ally, and she still looked in shock. "Ally" I sigh, trying not to look as hurt as I was. "I'm sorry; I probably just made things worse. I shouldn't have said that. If you want me to leave, I can, but can I just tell you that—"

"I thought-, I thought I was just a fling," she breathed, desperately pleading that she was wrong.

Now it was my turn to be shocked.

How did she not know my true feelings for her?

My shocked expression was written on my face, and I looked at her with a gaping mouth. I felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped on top of me.

She thought I was using her.

I scanned her face, searching, praying for a sign of doubt. But it wasn't there.

How can she think I only wanted to use her?

But as I searched into her expression a little more, I saw something that I thought I would fix, not cause.

Broken.

That's what I saw. She looked broken.

She has been forced to think that life will never get better. She doesn't expect to wake up one day and everything to suddenly become better. But, she accepts it. And she gets up, and looks her problems in the face, and spits on them. She is tougher than those wretched people against her every day. But she has already lost, because they have made an impact on her brain.

She can't look at anybody or anything without thinking that it will backfire some time. She could never accept that fact that I loved her, because life trained her to think that it was impossible. They have scarred her so she can't even control the way she thinks.

And now, in this janitor's closet, I had just told her that I loved her. I bet she hasn't heard that in a while. And she can't believe it, because she thinks it's impossible.

She looks at me, and I couldn't control myself.

I needed to prove it to her. Show her that being loved isn't impossible.

So, I leaned in and crashed my lips against her's.

It was better than our first kiss.

It was full of passion, and was soft and slow. It was everything the first kiss was plus one key aspect.

Reassurance.

The first kiss we had, we knew afterwards, we would have to leave each other. We both thought we did it only for Ally's first kiss.

We both knew this time that the feelings were mutual. We both knew that we both liked each other.

When she pulled away, she looked at me in the eye and smiled that beautiful smile of her's, causing me to smile back.

Then her smile faded, and she looked down at her folded hands. She took a slow breath in and reached into the back pocket of her jeans, and pulled up a folded up note. She looked at it for a few seconds, before looking up with hurt eyes. She placed the note into my pocket, and stood up. I mirrored her, and she took another deep breath in.

"Austin?" she said quietly. I stared at her intently, wanting to know what was on her mind. "You can't tell anyone, okay?" she pleaded, staring into my eyes with desperation.

My heart lurched.

"Ally!" I cried, putting a hand on her shoulder. "No Austin," she snapped, taking a step back. "If you told anyone, then things will just get worse. If they find out you know, they will kill you, and if you tell the police, he will escape jail again and find me. He will hunt me down and kill me. I need to see her one last time before I die, and I can't see you hurt."

The look in her eyes transported me back to the first day I met her. The time where she was in ninth period, trying to treat her hurt arm. She had noticed me watching her, and had signaled me to keep quiet. I wanted to help her so badly, but the look on her face told me to keep quiet. I couldn't resist that face.

She's wearing that very face right now.

So, I nod, promising her that I would keep quiet.

And with that response, she nods, and leaves the janitor's closet. She shuts the door, leaving me alone. I don't want to leave just yet, so I sit back down. I think of her, and her contagious laugh, and her beautiful tragic scarred being.

I feel the note in my pocket, and have the urge to take it out. So, I reach in and grab it, feeling it's texture. I stare at it, and then carefully unfold it, revealing some writing written in black. I read the contents slowly, trying to understand it.

_Dear John,_

_I wish your name was up there._

**(A/N: Well, that's it! What do you think Ally meant? Tell me in the reviews! I'll update ASAP!)**


	14. Betrayal

**(A/N: Hey! I am auditioning for a play on Monday! I hope I get a good part, so wish me luck! Here's your chapter!)**

**Austin's POV**

As soon as I got home, I jumped onto my computer.

I was so confused about the letter. None of it made sense. For one, it said Dear John. Not Dear Austin. And I know that Tim Hertz was originally John Walker, so that could be a possibility. But what makes me doubt that is the fact that after the heading, it says I wish your name was up there. What does that mean?

The thing is, I feel like the letter is for me. I know it said Dear John, but I feel like the message was for me. Why would she give it to me if it wasn't for me?

I wanted to do some research on Tim Hertz. Me being Ally's knight in shining armor means I save her from her problems, and the more I know about her problems, the better.

I searched John Walker, not Tim Hertz, obviously because the world doesn't know who Tim Hertz really is. The search engine came up with everything from the programmer John Walker to the athlete John Walker. I scrolled down, about to give up, when something caught my eye.

There, highlighted in blue, was a link.

The link was called _John Walker—Wanted by the FBI._

That was it.

I moved my mouse over and clicked on the link, and a news article came up, with a giant mug shot of a man that looked similar to the principal. He must have gotten some colored contacts or something, because in the picture, his eyes were an icy blue. The last time I saw him he had dark brown eyes. And also, the principal of our school is bald, but in the mug shot, he had a full head of dark brown hair. He didn't look that different, but different enough to skate by without people noticing who he really was.

I read the article slowly, taking in every detail.

_Name: John Walker_

_Age: 47_

_Height: 6 feet 5 inches_

_Weight: 163 pounds _

_Eye Color: Blue_

_Reason Wanted: Robbing SSC Bank, constructing illegal weapons, selling illegal weapons to an enemy country, breaking out of jail, smuggling a child out of a foster home, murder, threatening a member of the law enforcement, and possibly kidnapping._

_John Walker was first put into jail for robbing one of the wealthiest banks in the country, SSC Bank. He was charged to 10 years, but after 6 short months, he had escaped. No one knows where he went, but during that period of time, he and his wife gave birth to a child, who they named Lucy Walker. His wife disappeared, but he began an illegal project with some of his old college friends. He produced a vast number of nuclear weapons, and then attempted to sell them to an enemy country. FBI's Lester Dawson caught him in the act, and arrested him and his lackies for life. Lucy Walker was sent to a foster home. Walker was outraged, and swore to get revenge on Dawson. After 5 years, he broke out of jail, and smuggled his daughter out of the foster home. He arrived in Dawson's home town with twenty other men. He shot Dawson, as well as 12 others, and chased his two daughters, Ally Dawson, 10, and Bella Dawson, 6, into the forest. Bella was found three days later and taken into the hospital, but Ally Dawson was never found. Walker is a suspect for kidnapping the girl, and no one knows where he is located. If you see this man, call 911. Don't hesitate. No one knows what he is capable of. _

I take a sharp breath in, and wipe a bead of sweat off my forehead.

Bella's okay. I'll have to tell her that. She saved her life.

The words burn in the back of my mind. _If you see this man, call 911. Don't hesitate. No one knows what he is capable of._

I know what he's capable of.

He's capable of being wanted for seven years, and being out in the open, without getting caught. He's capable of keeping a girl enslaved in a high school for seven years, forcing her to do all the work, and whipping her if she did it wrong. He's capable of turning an innocent human being into a broken, smashed mess who doesn't even know how to be happy.

I'm capable of saving that girl.

But somehow, that look in her face seemed to force me to keep quiet.

I don't want to keep quiet. I want to save her.

But… I can't.

I scroll down the webpage, and come across the section where they give links to related articles. I read them down, most of them being other wanted criminals, but I stop dead on the last one.

_Ally Dawson—Missing_

I clicked on it, and a photo comes up. It's a yearbook picture on a 5th grader. There is a familiar girl with familiar brunette hair and familiar chocolate eyes. She has a familiar smile on her face, with a familiar twinkle in her eye. And I know exactly who she was.

Ally fucking Dawson.

That photo was taken before Walker took her. Before her life was converted from joyous to tragic. Before she lost everything.

I skim the article, but it was basically everything from the last article, but from Ally's perspective. I sigh, and lean back in my chair.

Ally Dawson. She confuses me. She amazes me. She scares the hell out of me. And I love every bit of her.

I am extremely conscious of the note in my pocket, so I reach in and grab it. I unfolded it gently, and read over it again.

_I wish your name was up there._

What did that mean? I could feel it in my gut that it was for me, John or not.

I stare down at the note, deep in thought, before I look up at the computer and type in _Dear John _in the search engine. I click enter, and 22,482 results pop up. Great.

I scroll down, finding many things. One of the most popular results was the song Dear John by Taylor Swift, so I listened to the song. It did have some things that could relate to Ally's situation, but it was more of a song telling a guy that he was being a bad boyfriend than anything else. I couldn't find anything that she would want to tell me through the song, so I went back to the search results.

I skipped over Dear John, the novel by Nickolas Sparks, and Dear John, the British sitcom. The more I scrolled down, the more I kept noticing Dear John, the movie based off Nickolas's book. I gave in, finally clicking on the Wikipedia entry. I read over the plot. The movie was about a soldier who came home from the army and fell in love with a girl.

Apparently, they communicated with letters.

I sat up in my chair. I'm close, I can feel it. I keep reading and my eyes freeze on a sentence. I read over it a couple more times, and my heartbeat quickens.

_When John finally receives the letter he had been waiting for, it appears as a Dear John letter._

A Dear John letter? What's a Dear John letter?

The words _Dear John letter_s are highlighted in blue, indicating that you could click on them. I clicked on it, and a new Wikipedia entry popped up.

I read the definition of a Dear John letter.

_dear john let·ter: _

_Noun_

_A letter from a woman to a man, esp. a serviceman, terminating a personal relationship._

My heart stops.

I stare at the letter in my hand. _I wish your name was up there. _

Of course.

She wished it said Dear Austin.

But it said Dear John.

She couldn't even bear to tell me again. She couldn't stand to tell me that we couldn't see each other.

I crumple the letter up and throw it across the room.

Stupid love.

Stupid, amazing, incredible, joyous love.

Why did I have to fall in love with Ally Dawson?

It would be so much easier. I wouldn't feel the pain that I am going through right now. I wouldn't know the pain she is going through right now. I wouldn't put her through the pain she is going through right now.

I should've just kept my distance. I shouldn't have reached out. Just look at the mess we are in.

And now, I have to fix it.

Because Ally Dawson is my everything. She brings a smile to my face just by smiling, and she is the only person that gives me those butterflies. I can't lose her. I won't lose her.

The only way for me and Ally to be together is by fixing her problems. The only way we can truly be together is to get rid of Walker. And I'm going to do it.

So, for the next two hours, I came up with a plan to save Ally. This plan was going to push me to new levels, but it will all be worth it in the end.

This new plan will commence tomorrow.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

Phase one of Operation Save Ally was about to play out.

I saw her across the hall, talking to Tilly Thompson while she applied lip gloss. I never, ever, ever thought I would ever do this, but I am going to, for Ally.

I march across the hall and approach her, and she turns her head and smiles at me. She throws her arms around me and screams, "Austy!"

I wrap my arms around her, and force a smile. "Hi, Cassidy," I say as cheerily as I could. She pulls away and flutters her eyelashes, causing a bit of mascara to smear underneath her eyes. "What do you need, babe?" she flirts, playing with my hair. I breathe in sharply. This is for Ally, this is for Ally…

"I was just wondering if I could take you to a movie tonight," I breathe, and she bites her lip, and smile breaking out on her face. Ally looked cuter when she bit her lip…

"Like… on a date?" she asks, ignoring the jealous glares of Tilly. "Yeah," I confirmed, rubbing the back of my neck. She whips out her pad of paper and pink gel pen again, and scribbles down her address on the tiny pad. She rips it off and shoves it in my hand. "Pick me up at seven," she said, winking.

Almost hesitantly, she pecks my cheek, and then struts off, with Tilly right behind her. I shake off what just happened, than turn around to head to homeroom, but stop dead in my tracks.

Ally was standing ten feet away, staring at me with an open mouth and tears in her eyes. When I noticed her, she shakes her head and turns. She runs down the hall.

I blink, and then run after her. She turns the corner, into an empty hallway, and I catch up to her, grabbing her shoulder. She spins around and looks at me with disgust. "Ally," I whisper, taking a step forward. She takes a step back and leans up against the lockers, trying to get away from me. I take another step, and we are pressed up against each other.

I stare at the scar on her head; the one on the side of her face. I reach out and touch it, not breaking eye contact with her. She jerks, and I take in a shaky breath, praying that she would understand. "Are you ok? Please be honest…"

She notices what I'm doing, and shakes her head, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Do you need help?" She nods her head, staring into my eyes. "Will you allow me to help?"

"No."

She shakes her head furiously. I try to keep the hurt from showing, but it's almost impossible. "Ally, you don't understand! I'm doing this for you!" I explain. Anger flashes in her eyes. "For me?" she says, infuriated. "Are you kidding? Austin, is this a joke to you?! I feel so betrayed! I am quite aware that we can't see each other, but I do know I have feelings for you. I know it! Even if it hurt, I wouldn't stop you from seeing other girls. But you told me you loved me yesterday, and I actually believed you! I thought you were different. I thought you actually cared about me! But it turns out, I am just another piece in your chess game! I was just a fling!" she screams, hot tears rolling down her cheeks.

I take a step back.

No, this isn't what I wanted.

She was not just a fling. She was never just a fling.

"And not only are you going out with any old girl," she rants. "You are going out with the same girl that beats me every single day of my life. The same girl whose father kidnapped me and brought me to this hellhole. You knew too! I told you! I am just so… heartbroken!"

I reach out a hand to touch her hair. She steps back, still staring into my eyes. "And you know what the worst part of all is?" she questions, more tears brewing. "I still love you."

I blink back tears. "Ally, I—" I begin. "No!" she interrupts. "You are a liar! You never loved me. You just wanted to play your sick game on an unsuspecting girl. Everything was fake, and I fell for it! Just when I thought someone actually cared, they side with the person I loathe the most. You were never my knight in shining armor, and you never will be!"

She turns around and runs down the hall, leaving me alone.

All of her life, people have been trying to break Ally Dawson, and she has been crumbling.

But I think I just snapped her in half.

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

I was supposed to keep her from breaking.

But instead, I broke her for good.

**(A/N: Okay, that was a bit sad. I have to go to sleep; it's like one in the morning. Who can't wait to see Girlfriends and Girl Friends? To be honest, I am more excited to see the promo for the episode afterwards. Austin is supposed to get jealous of Ally's childhood friend! Anyways, review!)**


	15. Tragic

**(A/N: Hey guys! I would like to clear something up. Some people were wondering to why Ally didn't let Austin explain. Well, imagine this. The guy you like just told you he loved you, which you thought to be impossible. Then the next day, he asks out the girl who has been beating you your whole life. Now, that might not be Austin's intentions, but it looks like that to Ally. She was so heartbroken, that she just wouldn't listen. Ok, so why don't you read?)**

**Austin's POV**

As I walk Cassidy up her front steps, I think of what just happened.

That was the single worst date I have ever had in my life.

We watched a chick flick. Cassidy insisted. She said it 'gave her chills'. I don't think I have ever seen that many girls cry in a movie theater.

All Cassidy wanted to do is make out with me. She would lean over to my seat and say, "Now will you kiss me?"

So fucking annoying.

And I couldn't stop thinking of Ally. Every time I looked at Cassidy, I swore I could see dark, chocolate eyes, and that smile that could light up a room. Then Cassidy would talk, and she would turn back into the girl that beat the love of my life. It was hard being on a date with her.

I never wanted Ally to find out that I was going on a date with Cassidy. Sure, this is all a part of the plan, and she'll understand later, but that look on her face made my heart crack. The way she said no hurt my soul.

I don't blame her for thinking I'm a liar. It looks that way. I could swear on her life that I meant every word I said to her yesterday.

I was supposed to save her from breaking.

But what I did yesterday shattered her into a million pieces.

She said I was never her knight in shining armor, and I never will be.

That sentence hurt so much.

Because I asked Cassidy out to be Ally's knight in shining armor. I would NEVER ask Cassidy out unless it was for Ally. Never.

But I'm going to prove it to her. I'm going to prove that she is my everything. Just wait.

Cassidy turns to me and smirks, and I try my best to keep a straight face. "Austy," she says, taking my hands. They were really cold. "That was the best date of my life!"

Really?

It was the worst date of my life…

"And you know what could make it better?" she says, smiling a sly smile. My eyes widen and she leans over and smashes her lips against mine.

Gross.

She had no technique whatsoever. She just moved her head. She licked my lips, asking for entrance, but I am only putting my tongue in ALLY's mouth. Not Cassidy's.

I kept my jaw clenched the entire time, and didn't kiss back at all. I find the idea of kissing Cassidy Hertz extremely disgusting.

The things I do for Ally Dawson.

After what seemed like forever, I pulled away, taking in a sharp breath and forcing a smile. Cassidy smirked back and put a finger on my chest. "Now it's the best date ever," she sighed. I look at the door and remember phase 2 of Operation Save Ally.

"Um… Cassidy," I say slowly. She looks up at me expectantly. "Can I come in and have a cup of coffee?" I ask, praying that she'd say yes. Her lips curve up into a wicked grin and she replies, "Only if I get a second date."

I smile genuinely for the first time tonight. She's not gonna want a second date after I'm done with her.

"Sure," I say. She takes a key out of her pocket and shoves it in the keyhole. "You'll get to meet my daddy!" she exclaims, pushing the door open.

Exactly.

I take a deep breath and take in the giant property. It has marble floors and two large staircases in the front hall. The fabric on the stairs looked like velvet, but I couldn't be sure. Cassidy grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. She led me down the hall and into the kitchen, where the devil himself was sitting.

Tim Hertz was sitting at the kitchen table, smoking a cigarette. He had some scruff, indicating that he hadn't shaved in a while. He wore an old rolling stones tee shirt, a leather jacket and baggy jeans with rips in the knees, exposing his knee caps. He held the paper in his hands, and his dark brown eyes were scanning the page. A cup of coffee was sitting on the table, and he picked it up and took a sip, licking the bitter drink off his lips.

His body language screamed evil.

He looked up at me with a sharp glare, which softened when he saw his daughter. "Princess!" he sighed, and held out his arms. Cassidy ran over to him and jumped onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a warm smile.

He sure does love his daughter.

His gave shifted over to me, and his eyes turned cold. I looked closely into them and saw a small ring of icy blue around them.

Icy blue.

John Walker's eyes.

Scary…

"Who might you be?" he asked coldly. I shifted on my feet and replied, "Austin Moon. Otherwise known as your daughter's date?" His rock solid glare melted into a warm smile. "Ah!" he chuckled, bouncing his daughter on his knee. "You're Austin Moon! My daughter has talked about you two lovebirds for a while now!"

My eyebrows furrowed together. "Cass and I have only had one date!" I said, looking over at Cassidy. She just rolled her eyes and examined her polished fingernails. "Yeah, but it was obvious that you liked me!" she replied, looking at me like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It was OBVIOUS that I LIKED YOU!?

Ok…

Yeah…

No.

I tried to keep a straight face, and Tim Hertz offered to make me a cup of coffee. I nodded, and he slid the coffee he had been drinking over to me. I gave him a questioning look. "Sir?" I asked, staring at that ring of icy blue. "Are you sure I could have your coffee?" He nodded and I reluctantly took a sip.

The taste of liquor immediately met my lips. It burned my throat and I coughed, not expecting the sharp taste. "Um… sir?" I said, still sputtering. "Is there some alcohol in this?" My principal just chuckled and replied, "Of course! Please don't tell me you have never got drunk before!"

I have, but never have an adult offered me coffee with liquor in it…

"I have, sir," I said, taking a small sip of the horrid drink. The drink tasted strong and bitter, and I felt like I wanted to puke. For Ally, for Ally…

"Sir," I said carefully, raising the mug to my lips again. "I am interested to know what you did before you became the principal."

For a split second, I could see a glimpse of fear across the criminal's eyes. It quickly vanished and he smiled, the corners of his mouth twitching up and down. "Well…" he breathed, and I glanced at Cassidy, who was staring at her father with worry etched into her face.

"I worked in the area of… warfare?" he asked more than said. I nodded. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and said, "Sorry, got a text from my dad…"

That was a lie. My dad wasn't coming home for another three days.

I held the phone up, and tapped on it like I was answering a text. I zoomed in on Hertz's face and snapped a picture, making sure it was on silent. He didn't notice, just stared at me intently.

"Sorry about that…" I trailed off, putting the phone in my pocket. I sipped the coffee, ignoring the sharp taste. I let the coffee slip from my hands, causing the mug to shatter. Cassidy let out a small shriek, and jumped off her father's lap. He jumped up as well, and I muttered a small apology. He shook his hands around, spraying coffee everywhere. I ran over and grabbed a small paper towel and offered it to him, which he gladly accepted. He wiped his hands and gave the towel back to me, and ran over to get more to clean up the mess.

I scanned the piece of paper towel and smiled. Some of Walker's fingerprints were left stained in coffee. I shoved the paper towel in my back pocket. "I have to use the bathroom," I stated carefully. Cassidy looked up from the mixture of broken clay and coffee. She smiled and said, "Down the hallway, turn right."

I nodded, exited the kitchen and walked down the seemingly endless hallway. I finally reached the bathroom and closed the door, locking it behind me. I automatically started searching the area for traces of DNA. I looked and looked until I found two razors sitting on the countertop. One was pink, so I assumed it was for Cassidy's legs, but the other was black, and smelled of axe.

I pulled a plastic bag out of from the inside pocket of my leather jacket. I carefully took the razor in my hands and examined it. It had tiny pieces of hair on the blades, and I dropped it into the plastic bag, and put it back into my jacket.

I breathed in and thought to myself. This is it. I am going to stop Ally's pain. We can be together. She won't hurt anymore.

I took my shaky hands and pulled out a my phone from my pocket. I dialed three numbers into the emergency caller, and pressed phone up to my ear.

A voice of a woman rang through my ears. "911, what's your emergency?"

I took a breath in and replied, "I have found John Walker."

The lady took a sharp breath in and squeaked, "Where's your location?"

I inhaled through my nose and said, "I'll tell you, but you'll have to promise me that you will go to Marino High School first."

"Why?" the lady asked, confused.

"Because Ally Dawson has been living there for seven years with no escape. The principal Tim Hertz is really John Walker in disguise. You need to save her," I asked, panicked.

"How do you know this?" the lady questioned, breathing heavily through the telephone line.

My heartbeat quickened, and a bead of sweat dropped from my forehead. Should I tell the truth, or just tell her to go?

I imagined Ally in this situation. She never lied to me, she just kept a secret.

"It's a long story," I replied shakily. "But it started when I fell in love with her."

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

I sat at the table while Cassidy told me a story about her pony. Hertz was sitting at the table, smoking his cigarette and reading the newspaper. I was anxious. I had called thirty minutes ago and they still weren't here yet. I want this done and over with.

Suddenly, a pounding sound erupted from the front door. "FBI! Open up or we will be forced to knock down this door!"

John Walker jumped up from his seat, dropping the newspaper on the ground. Cassidy jumped up and shrieked, and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

"We're counting to ten!" the officer shouted from the outside.

John looked over at me with anger in his eyes. "You found out, didn't you?" he whispered coldly. I took a step back, and shouted, "Yes!"

Rage filled his face, and he took a step towards me. I glanced at Cassidy, and her face was full of shock. I backed up, and was suddenly very afraid.

John is unstable. Nobody knows what he is capable of.

"Ten!"

"How'd you find out?" John asked, with venom spitting out with every word. He took a step towards me, and I took another one back.

"Nine!"

"Answer me!" he shouted, pulling out a pistol from his jacket.

I rose my trembling hands up and said, "Ally Marie Dawson…"

"Eight!"

He growled and screamed, "SHE TOLD YOU?!"

"Seven!"

"No," I replied, confidence growing as I thought of Ally.

"What?" he growled, taking more steps toward me. I backed up to the back wall, and he inched closer.

"Six!"

"No," I repeated. "I bumped into her in the hallway, and suddenly life was better. I was happier."

"Five!"

John got closer and closer, pointing the gun to me. He was only ten feet away, but he was still walking towards me.

"I followed her," I continued, not caring if I was about to die. If I saved Ally, I did my job. "She tried to get rid of me, because she knew about you!"

"Four!"

John opened his mouth, but I stopped him. "She knew you were capable of killing me, but I knew something was wrong! I knew something about her was hidden! So I eventually watched her after school!"

"Three!"

John was so close now, but I didn't give a shit. "And she saw me, and then told me what happened, because there was no way to hide it! The only reason I asked your daughter out was to catch you and put you back where you belong!"

"Two!"

"Because guess what, John Walker?"

His gaze hardened and his finger shot towards the trigger, getting so close to pulling it.

"One!"

"I LOVE ALLY DAWSON!"

Everything after those four words was a blur, yet in slow motion.

I saw John Walker pull the trigger, and a bullet impacted me hard in the shoulder. Numbness washed over me and my knees crippled, and I fell to the ground.

The front door burst open and another gun was fired, and I saw John fall to the ground with blood pouring out from his temple. I heard a scream, and then, Ally Dawson was next to me, shaking me, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Austin, NO! Don't leave me! Please, please! I'm sorry! You are my knight in shining armor! Just stay with me!" She screamed, trying to stop my shoulder from bleeding. I blinked and looked her straight in the eyes, taking in her presence.

"Don't forget about me," I breathed. She shook her head, more tears falling. "You're not gonna die! We are going to save you!" she screams, desperately trying to stop the blood from flowing.

"Ally!" I breathe a little louder. She stops and looks me in the eye. "Promise me. Promise me you keep being you. Promise me you'll never let me go," I say, as death neared closer.

A tear dropped down, but she nodded, sobbing. "Ally?" I asked softly. Her eyes gazed into mine. "I love you…" I said, fluttering my eyes closed.

The last thing I heard before everything went black was her shaky, beautiful voice saying…

"I love you too."

**(A/N: Here's the deal…**

**I'm not sure if I want to end it here, or if I want one more chapter. I'm gonna let you guys decide. If you want it to be over here, or if not, say so in the reviews. If you don't review, that obviously means you don't care, so you shouldn't be reading this story. Also, I need ideas for the next multi chapter that I write, so if you guys want me to write a story on something, leave it in the reviews. **

**I love you all!)**


	16. Future

**(A/N: Surprise! I'm back!**

**Okay, it's not really a surprise, considering the OVERWELMING response I got for a second chapter! Seriously, when I began Fanfiction, I expected to be one of those people with like 3 followers and 1 review. I never expected to be this popular! Guys, I've gotton 35 reviews in 3 hours of my chapter being up! Seriously, I'm touched.**

**I just love all your reviews, and all you guys, and I am so sad to say that this will be the last chapter of Ally Dawson's Secret! I am close to tears right now! This story only lasted like, a month! It's so weird. But anyways, I'm not really willing to let all you guys go, so you should know that I have at least one multi chapter going at all times. If you read and review my stories, I expect to see more from you in the future!**

**I would also like to let you guys know that I scored the lead in the play! Yes!**

**There's this really cute guy playing my love interest and I am SO excited! He has been hitting on me and everything! Eeeee!**

**Now, lastly, I must write a note to someone who has been with me from the very beginning.**

**To my Dearest Simon from Argentina,**

**Okay, first of all, hi!**

**Alright, even though you have only posted three or four reviews, they are just simply the best! You make me feel SO good about myself! I come from a family of writers, and being the youngest means that you are kind of overlooked. But you make me feel so special, and just… thanks!**

**Now, not only is it compelling that you are from Argentina, but also that you are a guy. You know what? That rocks! I mostly get girl readers, and it's nice to be appreciated by the member of the opposite sex! I like it when guys aren't afraid to put their selves out there, and that's exactly what you're doing! So kudos to you, Mr. Simon.**

**I find it very strange that you compliment me so much because you have mentioned that you're 17. Now here's a shocker: I'm only 14! I just feel awesome that someone 3 years older than me appreciates my work! I feel all warm inside!**

**I find it very funny that you called my insight on love amazing, because I have never been in love. I know, crazy right? Wrong. Again, only 14! But I defiantly believe in love and can't wait to fall into it. **

**So now, Mr. Simon, I expect to see you reviewing my other stories, because I enjoy what you say! I can see us getting along quite well, and I bet you'll enjoy my next story!**

**Oh, and in honor of you being you, this chapter is dedicated to Mr. Simon from Argentina.**

**And with that, this has been your dearest truecolors264!**

**PS: Your English does not suck; I feel like it is better than mine!)**

**Disclaimer: All songs used in this belong to Taylor Swift, not me.**

**Austin's POV**

All I saw was light.

There was nothing else. Just white light, blinding my eyes from everything. I knew I was dead; there was no way I could have survived that gunshot.

For a second, I couldn't remember the life I had when I was alive. I couldn't remember my parents. I couldn't remember my good friends. I couldn't remember the horrible John and Lucy Walker.

There was only light.

But then I felt myself falling. Plummeting down into more light. There was nothing around me, nothing to stand up on. I was so afraid I would be falling forever.

But then there was something.

A little dot of black floating in the light. I stopped falling and froze where I was. The black dot was only a foot away from me, and I could easily reach out and grasp it.

So I did.

I reached out a hand and enclosed the small black dot in my hand.

And everything about her came back to me.

Her soft chocolate eyes and the way they twinkled. Her contagious laugh and the way she threw her head back when it broke loose. The way her hair smelled like strawberries and bounced around when she walked. The way the tears streamed down her face, marking her perfect face with a sense of sadness. The way she always seemed to slip away, and when we finally had a chance to be together, we were separated once again.

I felt depression wash over my lifeless body. Why did it have to end so soon? I never wanted this to happen. All I wanted was to be with her forever.

But she's out of reach.

I drop the dot and sigh, floating around in nothingness. There was a sense of peacefulness here, yet I feel so unproductive.

I start to make my way in one direction. I keep going and going, but there was still nothing. This place was full of nothing.

Then, something that wasn't nothing caught my eye.

There was a figure. It was a man with dark hair and icy blue eyes, floating around like I was. He was tall and looked to be in his twenties.

He looked familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I made my way over to him, and called out to him. He spun around, and then looked at his feet sadly.

I then recognized who the man was.

The same man who had killed my first love's father. The same man who tortured my princess for seven years. The same man who had gone mad.

The same man who had killed me.

John Walker.

A young John Walker.

I very well wanted to yell at the man for everything. He had ruined everything. Everything he had ever done just messed up things even more. He had separated me and Ally forever.

But I couldn't.

Because this was not the John Walker I had seen on Earth.

He looked much more sincere, and a lot less guilty. There was something about him that just screamed innocence.

And I just didn't get it.

This man was the opposite of innocence. He has killed more than one person! And that includes me!

But he looked so vulnerable.

So…

Sorry.

"Why did I have to do it?" the late John Walker whispers to me. I didn't have to ask what he meant, because we both knew he meant everything.

"I don't know," I said, staring at his translucent shape. "Why did you, John?"

He stared off into space, thinking intently. He looked so distant, and so… scarred. It reminded me of a certain brunette girl…

"I just wanted to be remembered," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I didn't want to be a normal, average guy. I wanted to be remembered. I wanted my daughter to look at me and be proud."

I scanned him up and down. Maybe he's not so bad after all…

"She is," I state. His cold blue eyes meet my brown ones. "She will always be. She loves you so much, John. I think you lost sight of that."

He turns his gaze back towards the distance. "Maybe," he sighed. "But that still doesn't mean anything. I'm gone now, and I will never see her again."

"Never is a scary word," I said carefully. "Never is overrated."

And right then and there, I think I just fixed John Walker.

He straightened up, and asked, "Do you think you'll see Ally again?"

I look at him straight in the eye and say, "No. I know I will."

"Why?" he asks slowly.

I smile at him lightly, remembering Ally's words.

"Because I have hope."

Then, just as fast as the light had appeared, the light vanished.

And all was black.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

I opened my eyes and expected to see more light again.

There wasn't.

My shoulder hurt tremendously, but I was too curious to care. I appeared to be lying down. I scanned up at the ceiling, and it was made of white aluminum. I felt like I was in a moving vehicle, because of the way the whole room was moving and the bumps we kept hitting.

I looked to my side and saw some yellow and black. I finally came to the conclusion that I was on a stretcher. All of a sudden, my eyes widened.

Wait a minute…

Am I…

Alive?

I blinked and opened my mouth to breathe. I took in the cool, fresh air and smiled.

I'm alive.

I'm not dead.

I wanted to cry. What happened? I'm positive that I was dead before, so how did I come back to life? Did God do me a favor or something?

My thoughts were interrupted by a scream. I tried raising my head, but it hurt too much, so I just stayed still. I heard footsteps, and suddenly a lady bent over me, alarmed and amazed. "Doctor!" she shrieked, taking out a cold hand to feel my head. "He's alive! We have a pulse! We have a pulse!"

Some more footsteps were heard, and all of a sudden, there were at least twenty paramedics around me, talking quickly and taking tests on my body. "Where am I?" I asked timidly. One of the doctors with a clipboard replied, "You're on an ambulance. We were heading towards the Morag, but because you're breathing, we are making a beeline for the hospital."

I nodded slowly, taking in a couple more shaky breaths. A thought suddenly occurred to me. "Where's Ally Dawson?" I asked loudly. Everyone in the ambulance turned, surprised at my sudden change of mood. "She's in the front of the ambulance," the doctor with the clipboard said. "We didn't allow her to ride back here. When we get to the hospital, you can see her."

I smiled.

I get to see her.

I get to see her again.

I sighed happily and leaned back into the stretcher. A wave of exhaustion hit me, and I yawned, closing my eyes.

And while I slept, I dreamed of Ally Dawson and me, with no problems to conquer anymore. Only us, forever through eternity.

Just us.

Perfection.

A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A&A

The sound of a beautiful voice filled my ears. I felt myself awakening, but I didn't open my eyes, just listened to the holy voice sing. A soft hand was stroking the hair that fell across my forehead, giving me goose bumps.

I knew who it was. I could recognize that voice anywhere. I could identify that touch in my sleep. And I knew the song was her's too.

_Don't you worry your pretty little mind  
People throw rocks at things that shine  
And life makes love look hard  
The stakes are high, the water's rough  
But this love is ours_

I couldn't keep my face from breaking out into a smile. Her hand froze, and I heard her breath hitch. I kept my eyes closed and my smile on, just taking in her presence. She touched my cheek, and whispered, "Austin?"

I slowly opened my eyes, revealing Ally Dawson bent over me, with a teary smile. The light hurt my eyes, and my shoulder hurt like hell, but she was there, so it didn't matter. I reached my right arm (the one that wasn't injured) up to touch her face, and she let a tear slip down her cheek.

There were no words, but I don't think we ever needed words.

I took in my surroundings. I appeared to be in a hospital room, and Ally was sitting on a bench next to my bed. She was holding my hand, rubbing circles into my skin. For a good ten minutes, all was quiet, and I didn't mind. It was peaceful, and just for a moment, we didn't need to worry about what was ahead.

All of a sudden, her smile vanished, and she looked down at the ground. I attempted to sit up, but my shoulder forced me to stay down. I grunted, and Ally looked up at me. She bit her lip and then got up. She carefully got on to the bed with me, so we were lying side by side. I reached my good arm around her and pulled her close, inhaling her fruity scent.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, staring at our intertwined hands. "I just thought that you were gonna be like all the others…"

She sighed and looked me in the eye. I smiled at her and said, "Don't worry about it."

She gave me a small smile and buried her head into my chest. "Austin, I'm afraid," she whispered loud enough for me to hear. My face scrunched up, confused. "What do you mean? We got rid of Walker!" I exclaimed, rubbing her shoulder.

She looked at me and said, "YOU got rid of Walker. Which, by the way, is amazing. Thank you." I blushed and muttered, "No problem."

"But," she began, leaning up against my chest. "I'm going to have to go back to school and face everybody. They will know about what happened, and I am not sure how they are gonna react. And Cassidy is going back, too. It's just going to be hard. Not to mention, I'm assuming that we'll be together…" she sighed.

Shock took over my face, and I stared at her blankly.

I won't let anyone hurt her again.

Not again.

I don't care what other people think. I love Ally, and no one is gonna get in the way of that.

"Ally, no one is going to get in the way of us," I state, looking her straight in the eye. She sighed. "But Austin…" she breathed, playing with my hand. "What's going to happen to me? I have no family members, and I defiantly don't want to go anywhere without you. I am just scared of what's going to happen."

I looked her in the eyes, and she blinked. I leaned in, and she copied me. When our lips were a couple inches apart, I whispered, "Ally?"

I could feel her hot breath on my lips. She scanned my face up and down, her eyes lingering on my lips. "It will only get better from here," I state.

She smiles a little, and I smile back.

Because it's true.

The worst is over. We have gotten rid of John Walker, and Ally won't be beaten anymore. She won't have to live in the school, and she's done breaking. I will make sure that she'll start healing.

It can only get better.

I stare into her chocolaty brown eyes, and knew I was where I belonged. I reached out and touched her cheek, and she flinched, but stayed where she was. "Are you okay? Please be honest…" I whispered, a smile playing on my lips. She laughed quietly, leaning her head back. She shook her head, still smiling.

"Do you need help?"

There was a nod.

"Will you allow me to help?"

Her smile faded, and her eyes flicked down to my lips, and then back up.

I took that as a cue.

I leaned in, ignoring the pain in my shoulder, and pressed her lips against mine.

She's just perfect.

And she's all mine.

Our lips move completely in sync, and I slip my tongue into her mouth, causing her to shiver. Our tongues battle for dominance, and she lets out a moan. I deepen the kiss, and she reaches her hand around my back and plays with the ends of my hair.

Absentmindedly, she rests her arm on my bad shoulder, and I let out a cry of pain. She pulled away, blushing madly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! God, I'm an idiot!" she cried, face in hands.

I put my arm around her again, and she looks at me in silence. "You are not an idiot. Don't call yourself that. It kills me."

She gave me a big smile and said, "Thanks Austin!"

She snuggled up closer to me and yawned, fluttering her eyes closed. I rubbed her shoulder and asked, "Are you tired?" She nodded sleepily, and buried her face in my chest.

I loved her warmth so much.

She was close to sleep, but she kept tousling and turning. I rubbed her shoulder and began to sing her the same lullaby she sang to her sister on the night she was taken. And not just to put her to sleep, but to reassure her.

_Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
You and I'll be safe and sound_

Before I knew it, she was sleeping soundly in my arms, breathing softly. I looked down at her and saw the innocence in her sleep. I smiled, but then it dropped.

I knew our troubles weren't over. I know people will feel sympathetic of Ally, but she might feel uncomfortable with their questions. It is going to be a lot different than before. She is going to have to talk about her experience.

I don't know what people will think about me and Ally. No way am I having them get in the way of us, but she really wants to be accepted. And Trent and Cassidy will be a problem.

Not to mention Bella…

But, looking at her right now, I know that everything I do for her will be worth it. Because she is such a big reward, and I will stay her knight forever.

I can't help but thank John Walker, in a way. He is the person who brought Ally and me closer, and I am grateful for that. I think people might have misunderstood John Walker. All he wanted was to make his daughter proud. In his own twisted way, he thought what he was doing was good.

Ally Dawson's secret was bigger than I expected, but it doesn't matter. Because I am willing to give my own life for her, and I bet she would do the same for me.

And I'm happy.

I can't wait for the future.

My future with Ally Dawson and all of her perfection.

**(A/N: I hoped you liked it! This story has been SO fun! I want you all reading my next story, Dead in her Tracks. I love you all, and this is goodbye for now from truecolors264!**

**Oh, I almost forgot. Expect a sequel in the future…)**


	17. SEQUEL!

**So... I have some news.**

**You guys have been waiting forever for this.**

**The sequel is out!**

**It's on my page, called Bella Dawson's Secret. I really, really hope you guys like it!**

**That will be all :)**


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